Man Charged After 4-year-old Son Finds Gun, Shoots Himself

A St. Louis County man has been charged after his 4-year-old son found a loaded handgun and accidentally killed himself.

Authorities on Thursday said 25-year-old Devonte Carter of Jennings was charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of a firearm. He is jailed on $250,000 cash-only bail and does not yet have a listed attorney.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that police allege that the child found the gun in a dresser Wednesday morning and shot himself in the head.

Police say the boy’s father is a convicted felon who cannot legally own a firearm. He was found guilty of drug possession in 2019.