Man sent to prison after unattended gun led to shooting of 2-year-old in Minneapolis home

A 36-year-old man has received a five-year term for leaving a gun unattended, resulting in the shooting of a 2-year-old boy in a downtown Minneapolis home in March.

Kendall Hampton, of Minneapolis, was sentenced Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court after pleading guilty to felony child endangerment and being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the boy being shot in the face in an apartment in the 1500 block of S. Lasalle Avenue.

With credit for time in jail after his arrest, Hampton can expect to serve about 3¼ years in prison and the balance on supervised release.

Hampton told police he was asleep and unsure how the boy ended up being shot, the charges read.

The boy, whose name has not been released, suffered what medical personnel said was a "through and through" gunshot wound to his left cheek, according to the charges.

Hampton's criminal history in Minnesota also includes six convictions for theft, three each for domestic assault, disorderly conduct and receiving stolen property and once each for burglary, a weapons offense and drunken driving.

According to the criminal complaint:

Officers responded to a 911 call from a woman who told them she was sleeping and awoke to the toddler screaming. Hampton was in the same room at the time, she said. They were watching the boy while the child's mother was at work.

Hampton said he was in the bedroom when the gun went off and acknowledged drinking that night. When he went to sleep, Hampton said, he left the gun on the windowsill next to his bed.

After the shooting, Hampton told police, he fled with the gun because he knew he was not supposed to have any firearms. He said he went to the building's third floor and left the gun near an apartment front door. Police eventually retrieved the weapon.