Father Previously Warned About Gun Safety Years Earlier; 3-Year-Old Son Accidentally Shoots and Kills Brother

The parents of a 3-year-old child were convicted after their child accidentally shot down his 2-year-old brother after gaining access to a loaded firearm in a bedroom dresser. The incident occurred in Kentucky, where the toddler died after being accidentally shot.

The parents, identified as Tashaun Adams, 23, and Selena Farrell, 25, were found guilty of reckless homicide on April 17. The victim, Khalil Adams, was killed by his older brother. Both Adams and Farrell were also convicted of child neglect after a week-long trial, according to the Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney.

According to police, Adams and Farrell were asleep on a January afternoon in 2024 while their toddlers played unsupervised inside their apartment in Covington. The older child reportedly knew that his father kept a gun in the dresser in the bedroom where the child slept.

“Daddy’s gun is in the drawer,” the child later told police, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Cincinnati Enquirer.

The child then retrieved the firearm and accidentally shot his younger brother. Paramedics transported Khalil to a hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Adam said during trial that he was sleeping when he heard a gunshot. He ran to the bedroom where he saw Khalil on the floor. “His eyes were closed,” Adams said.

“It didn’t look like he was breathing,” Adams added.

Adams accepted responsibility for the tragedy. “I blame myself for it every day,” he testified, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

While Adams remained, Farrell fled. She was arrested a few days later at a hotel where she told police she “knew Khalil was going to die and wanted to attend his funeral,” according to WLWT.

Kenton County Commonwealth prosecutor Rob Sanders said the shooting was not simply an accident.

“I really don’t like the term accident, because I think accidents, in my mind, are unavoidable. This was not an unavoidable set of circumstances. The shooting death was caused by the fact that two adults left a loaded handgun with a round in the chamber within the reach of a 3-year-old child they did not supervise,” Sanders said.

What is worse is that Admas has been warned about the dangers of leaving an unsecured gun within the reach of children. About two years before the incident, police reportedly found the gun, the same one used to kill Khalil, unsecured in the bedroom. A few months later, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services once again discovered a gun within the reach of children, according to prosecutors.