Insets: Tashaun Adams and Selena Farrell. Background: Cops in Covington, Kentucky, investigate after a 3-year-old boy accidentally shot his 2-year-old brother to death (WLWT).
A Kentucky couple has been found guilty after a tragic incident where their 3-year-old son found a gun in their bedroom and accidentally fatally shot his 2-year-old brother.
Tashaun Adams, 23, and Selena Farrell, 25, faced a jury last week and were convicted of reckless homicide in the case of Khalil Adams’ death. This verdict was delivered after a trial lasting one week, as reported by the Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney. The jury also found them guilty of child abandonment.
The incident occurred on a January afternoon in 2024. Authorities reported that Adams and Farrell were asleep while their young children were left unsupervised in their Covington apartment. The older child was aware of a gun kept in the bedroom dresser.
“Daddy’s gun is in the drawer,” the child later revealed to police, according to a criminal complaint cited by the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The child retrieved the weapon and began to play with it, resulting in the accidental shooting of his brother. Emergency responders quickly transported Khalil to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
During the trial, Adams stated he was asleep when the gunshot woke him. He rushed to the bedroom to find Khalil lying on the floor.
“His eyes were closed,” he reportedly said. “It didn’t look like he was breathing.”
He has accepted responsibility for his actions.
“I blame myself for it every day,” he testified, the Enquirer stated.
While Adams stayed on scene, Farrell fled. She was arrested a few days later at a hotel where she told cops she “knew Khalil was going to die and wanted to attend his funeral,” local NBC affiliate WLWT reported.
Kenton County Commonwealth Prosecutor Rob Sanders told reporters at the time that the shooting, while tragic, was no accident.
“I really don’t like the term accident, because I think accidents, in my mind, are unavoidable,” he said. “This was not an unavoidable set of circumstances. This shooting death was caused by the fact that two adults left a loaded handgun with a round in the chamber within reach of a 3-year-old child that they did not supervise.”
Sanders delivered the closing argument to jurors where he reiterated the same point.
“This case is about the parents’ choices,” he said, per the Enquirer. “They made lots of mistakes, but they weren’t accidents.”
What’s worse is Adams had been warned before about the dangers of leaving an unsecured gun within reach of children. About two years before the shooting, cops reportedly found a gun — the same one used to kill Khalil — unsecured in a bedroom. A few months later authorities with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services once again discovered a gun within reach of the kids, prosecutors stated, according to the Enquirer.
Adams reportedly signed a prevention plan advising he would ensure a “safe and stable environment” where the kids were adequately supervised.
Per the Enquirer, jurors recommended Adams serve five years and Farrell seven years. A sentencing date has yet to be set.
