The Harrison Twp. Fire Department was dispatched Feb. 11 to a report of a 22-month-old boy who hit his head on furniture at an apartment on Republic Drive. The child was taken to Dayton Children’s Hospital, which alerted the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office that he suffered a severe laceration that exposed his skull, had a possible frontal bone fracture and brain bleed in addition to foreign bodies described as metal or lead in his eye and dark colored spots on his face consistent with stippling from a gunshot wound, according to an affidavit filed in Vandalia Municipal Court.
“Rashaunda stated she believed (her son) fell into their metal TV stand,” the affidavit read. “Rashaunda denied any firearms being in the residence or a gun being involved in the incident.”
The mother later told detectives her son accidentally shot himself after he found her semi-automatic handgun. A search of the apartment yielded a gun, spent shall casing and ammunition. Investigators also found a bullet hole in the bedroom ceiling.
Credit: Montgomery County Jail
Credit: Montgomery County Jail
During a follow-up with the mother, Rogers told detectives she kept the gun unsecured under the bed, according to court records. After her son shot himself, she put the gun in a hall closet.
Prosecutors had sought a significant punishment for Rogers, who faced a maximum nine years in prison.
“Rogers was so focused on self-preservation that she felt it more appropriate to lie to the medical personnel who were working to treat (her son’s) egregious injuries,” a sentencing memorandum stated. “Most disturbingly, Rogers left her son’s bedside at the hospital to return to the scene and hide evidence.”
Rogers’ fiancée, Dariale Omari Brazzell, previously was sentenced to up to five years of probation after pleading guilty to obstructing official business, according to court records.
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