Florida 14-year-old charged after 6-year-old fatally shoots himself

Police in Florida have charged a 14-year-old in the death of a 6-year-old boy who shot himself after a gun was left out, according to a police statement shared with The Hill. 

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said Jayden Vaughn was arrested in the fatal shooting of Danny Waye III, who was watching TV when he picked up and started playing with a gun before it went off and killed the boy.

Police said the gun had been brought into the home by a friend but that they charged the 14-year-old because he had left it in a place where the child could access it.

He was charged with culpable negligence for the improperly stored firearm in Waye’s death.

Waye’s uncle Mark Shields told the Florida-Times Union that his nephew was “a sweet, sweet boy” who was being raised by his other family members while his parents were in prison.

Shields added that Waye’s grandmother was asleep in the house when the incident happened. 

“It is just devastating. Everyone is hysterical,” Shields told the Times Union.

Updated 7:34 p.m.