Weapons cache, homemade bombs found inside home of father in toddler shooting incident

The father of a 4-year-old child who accidentally shot his mother with an unsecured gun has pleaded not guilty to 14 charges on Monday, according to KOMO News.

The incident occurred on July 15, when 44-year-old David Neff reported that his wife had been shot in the arm by their child, using Neff’s pistol.

Father pleads not guilty to more than a dozen charges

The mother sustained a serious injury to her triceps, but was expected to recover. The 4-year-old also suffered a minor cut to the face. Firefighters on the scene believed the cut came from the handgun’s recoil after being fired.

Neff reportedly told law enforcement that the firearm was taken out of Neff’s holster while he was sleeping on the couch.

KOMO News obtained court documents listing the 14 charges filed against Neff on Friday:

• Count 1: Unsafe Storage of Firearm in the First Degree Domestic Violence and Domestic Violence
• Count 2: Possession of an Unlawful Firearm
• Count 3: Possession of an Unlawful Firearm
• Counts 4-5: Reckless Endangerment Domestic Violence
• Counts 6-13: Possession of Explosive Device
• County 14: Unlicensed Possession of Explosives

Neff’s bail is now set at $1 million, double the previous amount. Public safety risks were cited in the documents after prosecutors uncovered numerous hazards inside Neff’s home after his arrest.

Details from the investigation inside Neff’s home

In the charging papers, prosecutors noted that a total of 73 guns were found throughout Neff’s Lynnwood home. Many of the guns were labeled as unsecured firearms.

“The danger Mr. Neff poses to this community cannot be understated,” said Kristina Beske-Keplinger, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Snohomish County, according to KOMO News.

The list of weapons inside Neff’s home varied from short-barreled rifles, automatic rifles, and pistols. The gun used by the child was a Glock 19X. Neff claimed the firearm was holstered on his waist with a round in the chamber when his child grabbed it.

Law enforcement on the scene called in the Washington State Patrol bomb squad after 10 homemade explosive devices were found. The explosives were filled with nails, drill bits, nuts, bolts, and shrapnel-like materials.

Materials used for illegally manufacturing ammunition were also found in the home. Neff had eight pounds of gunpowder and 13 small one-pound containers holding various levels of powder in them.

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries claimed that Neff didn’t possess a license for purchasing, using, storing, or manufacturing explosives.

Prosecutors said a drawing with Neff’s name on it appeared to have plans of a mass shooting in the community in which he lived.

“Increased bail is appropriate where the additional information supports that the danger for future violence was not fully appreciated at the time that bail was initially set,” prosecutors wrote in charging papers, according to KOMO News.

The trial for Neff is scheduled for September 3, 2025.

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