DETROIT – A mother has been sentenced in the death of a 5-year-old boy who accidentally shot and killed himself while jumping on a bed in Detroit.
What happened
Officials said the boy was one of five young children who were left alone around 1:30 p.m. Dec. 9, 2023, in a house on Greenfield Road between McNichols Road and Puritan Avenue on Detroit’s west side.
Detroit police Chief James White said the day of the shooting that the gun had been left on a dresser.
“The 5-year-old gets the weapon, is playing with the weapon, jumping up and down on the bed, turns the gun on himself and shoots himself in the face and died at the scene,” White said.
His parents, Halisa Lloydnette-Christine Brown and Sturlin Markese Minion Sr., were taken into custody.
Child Protective Services was called to care for the other four children in the house.
“I’ve been here how many times saying this?” White said. “It’s absolutely unacceptable, and here’s where we’re at.”
Charges for parents
Four days after the shooting, both Brown and Minion were charged with involuntary manslaughter, three counts of second-degree child abuse, and four felony firearm violations.
Minion, 33, was also charged with one count of felon in possession of a firearm.
Both parents were given a $250,000 bond and told not to possess alcohol or guns. They were also told not to have contact with any children, including their own.
Mother sentenced
Brown, 25, was sentenced Friday, Aug. 9, 2024.
She will spent six months in the Wayne County Jail. She also received three years of probation and $1,898 in fees or community service.
Brown got credit for four days served.
Minion is set to be sentenced in September.