An Indianapolis man has been ordered to serve seven years in prison and two years on home detention after a young child in his household got hold of a loaded, unsecured handgun that killed a 4-year-old girl. The shooting, in the Cumberland area in July 2023, has since become a rallying point for renewed calls to lock up firearms in homes with children.
According to WTHR, 25-year-old Terrelle Jackson was sentenced Wednesday (May 13, 2026) after a court filing resolved the case. The station reports the judge imposed a seven-year prison term, followed by two years of home detention, and that Jackson was remanded to the Marion County Jail after the hearing.
How Investigators Say It Unfolded
Cumberland police say that on July 5, 2023, officers were called to a townhome where they found 4-year-old Deor Neita suffering from a gunshot wound; she was pronounced dead at the scene. Multiple children under the age of six were in the home, and investigators say they found a loaded handgun in an upstairs bedroom with no gunlock or engaged safety, according to WISH.
Charges, Arrest and Weapon Details
Investigators later identified Jackson as the owner of the firearm and say he was not legally allowed to possess a handgun at the time. A warrant was issued in August 2023, and he was taken into custody the following month. He was charged with neglect of a dependent causing death, and charging documents state the weapon had an extended magazine when the children discovered it, according to CrimeOnline.
Sentence Compared With State Guidelines
The state's sentencing grid lists a Level 1 felony as carrying a 20- to 40-year range, according to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. The sentence in Jackson's case, reported by WTHR, followed a court filing that resolved the charges.
Broader Pattern and Safe-Storage Warning
Public-health researchers and gun-safety advocates say unintentional shootings by children have increased in recent years and are often preventable when firearms are stored securely. Injury Epidemiology and Everytown's #NotAnAccident tracker both stress that locking and unloading guns, and storing ammunition separately, significantly reduces the risk of tragedies like this.
The sentence brings the criminal case to a close on paper, but it leaves a grieving family and a rattled community behind. Advocates and researchers continue to urge caregivers to keep firearms locked, unloaded, and stored away from ammunition, calling it the most direct way to prevent similar deaths.
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