ROOSEVELT, MN (trfnews.i234.me) — Two Roosevelt parents are facing criminal charges after their 8-year-old son was accidentally shot and killed with an unsecured firearm inside their home.
According to court documents, Theodore Charles Stewart, 41, and Danielle Elizabeth Stewart, 39, were each charged on September 30 with negligent storage of firearms where a child can access them. The charge is a gross misdemeanor carrying up to 364 days in jail and a $3,000 fine.
First responders were dispatched to the family’s Roosevelt residence after reports of an 8-year-old suffering a gunshot wound to the neck. The child had already been transported to the hospital with his mother when Roseau County deputies arrived.
Another child in the home told investigators that after their father left for work, the siblings took out a .22 rifle and placed it on their parents’ bed. The gun discharged as it was being set down, striking the 8-year-old.
Theodore Stewart told investigators he had just left for work when the accident happened, while the children were inside and their mother was walking outside. Officers later searched the residence and found an extensive firearms collection — 14 rifles and pistols in the bedroom, most of them loaded, along with 13 more guns in a nearby closet and seven others in the hallway and living room.
Deputies noted that nearly all firearms were unsecured and accessible to children. Complaints were filed against both parents, and summonses were issued for them to appear in Roseau County District Court.
The Minnesota BCA Firearm Safety Guide stresses that guns should always be unloaded, locked, and stored separately from ammunition to prevent tragedies.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
