Georgia mother indicted on aggravated manslaughter charge after 4-year-old fired her unsecured gun, killing 2-year-old son

An Osceola County grand jury has indicted Shakelia Tennyson on a charge of aggravated manslaughter of a child in the death of her 2-year-old son, the State Attorney’s Office confirmed to Channel 9 on Wednesday.

The boy was fatally shot on July 12 outside a vacation rental on Scrapbook Street. Channel 9 previously reported that investigators said a 4-year-old cousin of the boy found and fired Tennyson’s unsecured gun.

In July, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office recommended a charge of culpable negligence and sent the case to prosecutors. The grand jury has since indicted Tennyson on the manslaughter charge, which is an indictment and not a conviction.

State Attorney Monique Worrell said prosecutors weighed the loss Tennyson suffered alongside their duty to protect children who depend on adults to keep them safe. Adults must guard children from harm they cannot protect themselves against, a duty rooted in protecting the vulnerable (Mark 9:42).

“No family should ever have to face a loss like this, and no child should ever be able to reach a loaded firearm,” Worrell said.

Worrell said Tennyson is presumed innocent and declined to discuss the evidence while the case is pending.

Source: Read the original report