ROCKFORD, Ill. — An Illinois man is facing multiple charges after a 3-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed himself in a Rockford home last month, authorities said.
According to WREX and the Rockford Register Star, Octtayges Lamar Shanklin, 25, of Rockford, faces charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm and endangering a child’s life, as well as weapons possession charges, in the death of the toddler.
Authorities said the death occurred Oct. 15 at a home on North Court Street, the news outlets reported. Police said the boy found a gun in the home, where Shanklin lived with the toddler and his family, according to the Register Star. The child then fatally shot himself, police said.
Winnebago County State’s Attorney Marilyn Hite Ross and Rockford police Chief Dan O’Shea urged the public to make sure their weapons are properly secured, according to the news outlets.
“Gun safety around children is imperative to preventing accidental injury or death of a child,” Hite Ross said, according to WREX. “Responsible gun ownership saves lives.”
Cox Media Group
