Tennessee toddler accidentally shoots, kills himself while mom, boyfriend on drugs, police say

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

A Tennessee toddler accidentally shot and killed himself after finding a gun while his mother and her boyfriend were on drugs, police said.

According to the Jackson Sun, Linda Arrington, 25, and Antonio Dancer, 43, were charged with negligent homicide after Arrington's 3-year-old son, Chrisaiah, found an unsecured handgun in their Jackson home and shot himself Saturday afternoon, authorities said. The boy, who suffered a gunshot wound to the face, died at a nearby hospital.

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Arrington and Dancer "were both under the influence of drugs while the child was left unattended," Jackson police said in a news release Tuesday. Arrington said in court that she has a heroin problem and mental health issues, the Sun reported.

Arrington also told police that Chrisaiah had found a gun in the home before, the Sun reported. About a month ago, she discovered the boy with a gun that had been under her pillow, police said.

Arrington was jailed on $35,000 bond, the Sun reported. Dancer, who also was charged with illegally possessing a firearm because he is a felon, is being held on $50,000 bond.

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