SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — A man whose 9-year-old son fatally shot his younger brother has pleaded guilty to illegal weapon possession and criminally negligent homicide for leaving a loaded gun where his children could get it.
In Onondaga County Court Wednesday, 44-year-old Jermaine Moore of Syracuse pleaded guilty to the two felonies in exchange for a reduced sentence of 3 ½ years in prison. The Syracuse Post-Standard reports that Moore faced up to 15 years if convicted at trial.
Police say 8-year-old Shaleek Carrears died in August 2017 after being shot at home by his brother, who thought the Glock 43 semi-automatic handgun he found in the house was fake.
According to police records, the gun was stolen from a Syracuse firefighter's vehicle a year before the shooting. Moore wasn't charged with stealing it.
___
Information from: The Post-Standard, http://www.syracuse.com