A Palmetto father is facing a felony charge after investigators say his 9-year-old son found an unsecured handgun in late March and accidentally shot a 5-year-old child. The younger child survived but was hospitalized with severe injuries and spent several days on a ventilator, according to officials. The father has pleaded not guilty to a third-degree felony count of culpable negligence.
How deputies say the shooting unfolded
According to Bradenton Herald reporting, Manatee County Sheriff's detectives responded to a Palmetto home in late March and found a 5-year-old with a gunshot wound to the chest. The Child Protection Team interviewed the 9-year-old on March 27, and the boy told investigators he went into his father's bedroom looking for Pokémon pens and instead found a handgun under the bed. He told detectives he meant to put the firearm away, but it discharged and struck the younger child.
Weapon, injuries and the search
The Bradenton Herald reports that investigators identified the firearm as a Canik 9mm. Deputies later found it in a bedroom safe with a spent casing still in the chamber. Detectives say the safe, which held multiple firearms, was within roughly 10 feet of where the handgun had been left on the floor.
According to investigators, the 5-year-old sustained a pierced lung and a broken collarbone. The child spent about five days on a breathing tube, and the bullet reportedly passed through the child's chest and then exited the home through a bedroom wall.
Charges, bond and court date
Manatee County prosecutors have charged 36-year-old Robert Richard Giles with culpable negligence, a third-degree felony. Court records show he pleaded not guilty and later posted a 2,500 dollar bond. Deputies told Tampa Bay 28 that Giles initially said the firearm had been kept in a nightstand and that he was in the kitchen when he heard a "pop." He is scheduled for arraignment before Circuit Judge Frederick Mercurio, according to court filings.
What the law says
Under Florida law, leaving a loaded firearm within the reach or easy access of a minor is a third-degree felony if the minor obtains the weapon and uses it to inflict injury or death. State statutes also direct prosecutors to evaluate such cases before filing charges, per the Florida Senate. The law turns on "culpable negligence," which courts and jury instructions describe as conduct a person knew, or reasonably should have known, was likely to cause death or great bodily harm.
Safety context
Gun-safety advocates and researchers often point to incidents like this when pushing for secure storage in homes with children. Everytown Research tracks unintentional shootings by children and recommends locking firearms and storing ammunition separately as the most effective ways to prevent such injuries. Public-health experts similarly say secure storage and parental education help reduce the odds that curious kids will get their hands on loaded guns.
Prosecutors will now prepare the case for court. If convicted, Giles faces up to five years in prison under Florida sentencing rules for third-degree felonies. The family of the injured child and nearby residents did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to the Bradenton Herald.
