FERGUS FALLS, Minn. – The Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office says the parents of a three-and-a-half-year-old boy who shot and killed himself near Wadena won’t face charges.
Deputies found the boy with a gunshot wound to his head on December 29, 2024. He died at the hospital.
Authorities say the home had childproof safety features like secured doors and cabinets.
The gun was located in a room that was off-limits to the child without supervision.
But the Sheriff’s Office says the room’s door, which had a childproof mechanism, “was inadvertently left partially ajar for a brief period, allowing the child to enter.”
The gun was stored in a closed drawer.
“After a thorough review of the evidence, the Otter Tail County Attorney’s Office has determined that there is not a reasonable likelihood of a successful prosecution in this case,” said the sheriff’s office in a statement.
“This was a tragic incident, and our thoughts remain with the family and all those affected,” wrote the office.
Negligently leaving or storing a loaded firearm in a place where a person knows a child can likely gain access is against state law in Minnesota, unless reasonable steps were taken to secure the weapon.
But to establish negligence, the sheriff’s office says prosecutors must demonstrate that an individual acted in a manner that a reasonable person would not, or failed to take precautions that a reasonable person would under the same circumstances.
