Federal Way gun owner charged after 8-year-old shoots 9-year-old brother in head
Nov 26, 2022, 2:07 PM
9-year-old boy shot by 8-year-old brother in Federal Way - Photo by South Sound News.
Charges were filed against a Federal Way man accused of leaving a gun on his bed, where it was found by his two younger brothers, and one boy shot the other boy in the head.
LeAnthony J. Todd, 18, was charged on Nov. 15 with first-degree community endangerment due to unsafe firearm storage.
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On May 19, Todd left his Glock 23 on his bed while he went to take a shower at the Kitts Corner Apartments on 336th Street, according to charging documents.
His two younger brothers, ages 8 and 9, found the pistol and “took turns pulling the trigger at each other, resulting in the 9-year-old brother being shot in the head,” court documents said.
Though the 9-year-old boy was critically hurt, he survived his injuries.
Documents said that after the shooting, the 8-year-old told his mother that his 9-year-old brother had been handling the gun first, pointing it at him and pulling the trigger, but nothing happened. The 8-year-old said he then took the gun, and “took it out and put it back in,” likely meaning he removed the magazine and then reinserted it back into the gun.
The boy then pulled the trigger, striking his 9-year-old sibling in the head.
Documents said that after police officers arrived, the boys’ mother was heard on officers’ body camera videos crying and screaming at Todd, asking him why he would bring a gun into her house and that he had no reason to have a firearm.
While being interviewed by a detective, Todd said he had bought the gun several months ago from “some dude at the transit center for $200.” He said he bought the gun to scare some people who had threatened his older brother, but denied ever using it that way, probable cause documents said.
Under Washington state law, if a gun owner does not properly secure their weapon and a child finds it and hurts themselves or someone else, that person can be charged with a felony.
