Gun owner charged with manslaughter after boy shot himself in the head

A 3-year-old child shot himself in the head and died after a Minneapolis man allegedly left his gun unattended on a kitchen island because he was in a rush and needed to go to the bathroom.

Elliott Staples III, 30, was charged with second-degree manslaughter on Thursday in Hennepin County District Court. The child, Jajuan Robinson, was found on the afternoon of Oct. 21 in the Hook and Ladder Apartments in the 2300 block of Jefferson Street NE. He died at HCMC a short time later.

In an interview with WCCO in October, Robinson’s mother, Charlotte Williams, said she was at work and left her son with a babysitter. “I left my baby with somebody I thought I trusted. Somebody he was supposed to be safe with.”

An online fundraiser to support Williams said Robinson was, “full of life—silly, energetic, and always playful. He adored Spider-Man, loved dinosaurs, and dreamed of becoming a construction worker because of his fascination with excavators.”

According to the charges:

Staples III told investigators that he had taken his gun out of the holster that he wears on his hip. He said he normally places the gun on top of his refrigerator but was in a rush and so he placed it on the center island in his kitchen.

While he was using the bathroom, he heard a gunshot. He ran out to find the boy on the ground in the kitchen, bleeding from the head. Staples III then grabbed the gun and placed it on top of the refrigerator.

Staples III was the only adult in the apartment at the time of the shooting. He has no serious criminal history in Minnesota.

Robinson’s aunt, Meshia Woods, told WCCO in October that Staples III “loved” the little boy. “But we just can’t ignore the fact that he was neglectful,” Woods said. “We won’t have any justice if we let him off that easy.”

Staples III is due to make a first court appearance on Dec. 31.