Father Charged After 3-Year-Old Son Dies From Gunshot at Home in Butler, Georgia

Taylor County authorities have charged a father in the fatal shooting of his three-year-old son, who died months after the March incident at a home on Peters Road in Butler. Authorities say the child got hold of a firearm inside the residence.

According to 13WMAZ, the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office said it responded to the Butler home in March after the boy suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The child’s mother began driving him toward Phoebe Sumter Medical Center, where he died after emergency medical efforts. 41NBC reported that deputies were dispatched around 5:23 p.m. on March 7 to a report of a person who had been shot at a home in the 66 block of Peters Road.

The sheriff’s office identified the father as Dante Vinson, who currently lives in Oglethorpe. According to the station reports, he has been charged with one felony count of involuntary manslaughter and one misdemeanor count of reckless conduct. WGXA identified the father as Dane Vinson in its coverage of the arrest. The discrepancy in the first name has not been resolved across the reporting.

The case was with investigators for roughly seven months before charges were announced. The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation examined the circumstances of the child’s death, including how he came to access the weapon inside the home.

The sheriff’s office’s initial March release gave the child’s age as 2. More recent reporting, including the newly filed charges, identifies him as 3 at the time of his death. Investigators have not publicly addressed the difference.

WSB-TV also reported that the father faces one felony count of involuntary manslaughter and one misdemeanor count of reckless conduct, with the charges stemming from the circumstances of the child’s access to a gun. As WGXA reported, authorities stressed that firearms must be properly secured and kept out of children’s reach, a duty that reflects protecting the vulnerable (Proverbs 31:8-9).

No details about the father’s custody status, bond or an upcoming court date have been released.

Source: Read the original report