TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A Tallahassee man was arrested after his child died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in November.
Kadeem Thomas, 33, is charged with culpable negligence, according to arrest documents.
Deputies responded to a home on Augustus Oak Court on the morning of November 9 in reference to a shooting. They found a child, later identified as four-year-old Kane Thomas, with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead on the scene, arrest papers show. In the initial reporting of the incident, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office said the child was three.
Thomas is charged with culpable negligence after his son died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to arrest papers.(Leon County Jail)
During the investigation, law enforcement interviewed Thomas’ cousin, who he called after the incident. His cousin told deputies that Thomas had said the toddler “shot himself.” The recording of the 911 call showed Thomas also told dispatch his son had shot himself, according to arrest documents.
Several days after the incident, Thomas and his attorneys came to the Leon County Sheriff’s Office to provide a statement.
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Thomas said he had friends over the night before the shooting and Kane was put to bed around 11:45 p.m. After the friends left, Thomas said he took a shower, made food and “smoked a roach” before falling asleep on the couch, arrest papers said.
He said he had placed the gun, which was tucked into the couch, next to him on the sofa. According to arrest documents, Thomas said he woke up to a pop sound and felt the toddler next to him on the sofa.
Thomas told law enforcement he knew having the gun out like that was “not safe.”
Thomas was arrested and charged on Monday, jail records show.
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