JaJuan Robinson Jr. (GoFundMe).
Elliot Staples III accepted a guilty plea for second-degree manslaughter regarding the death of JaJuan Robinson Jr. in Minneapolis. On October 21, 2024, while babysitting the child, Staples needed to use the bathroom. He removed his firearm from the holster on his hip and placed it on the kitchen island, underestimating JaJuan’s ability to reach it.
Staples typically secured the gun atop the refrigerator, but on this occasion, he did not, citing being “rushed,” as noted in a probable cause affidavit filed by the police.
While in the bathroom, Staples heard a gunshot. He rushed back to discover JaJuan with a gunshot wound to the head. The boy was swiftly taken to the hospital, where he was declared deceased.
In court on Wednesday, Staples received a sentence of 180 days in jail starting March 3, along with a five-year probation period. If he breaches probation conditions, he faces a potential four-year prison term. Additionally, he is required to pay approximately $7,500 in restitution.
On Wednesday, a judge sentenced Staples to serve 180 days behind bars beginning on March 3. He was also placed on probation for five years. Should he violate the terms of his probation, Staples could go to prison for four years. Staples also must pay about $7,500 in restitution.
JaJuan”s mother, Charlotte Williams, was at work when her son died. She expressed outrage that her son got his hands on a firearm.
“For him to get a hold of a gun, how?” Williams told local ABC affiliate KSTP after Staples was charged. “He thought it was a toy. My baby accidentally shot himself in the head.”
The boy’s aunt in a GoFundMe described JaJuan as “silly, energetic and always playful.”
“He adored Spider-Man, loved dinosaurs, and dreamed of becoming a construction worker because of his fascination with excavators,” she wrote.
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