A 29-year-old Manatee County woman has been charged with culpable negligence after investigators said her 4-year-old son fatally shot himself with a handgun he found in her purse in June.
Diamond Sharee’Nicole Phillips was arrested Sept. 22 on a charge of culpable negligence involving a firearm accessible to a minor. She was released Sept. 23 after posting $10,000 bond, according to jail records.
The investigation began June 21 when Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a home on Hidden Circle East in Sarasota following a report that a child had shot himself.
According to the arrest report, investigators determined the child removed a loaded .380-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun from his mother’s purse, which had been left on a kitchen island.
Investigators and autopsy findings indicated the 4-year-old was likely looking down the barrel of the handgun when it discharged.
According to the arrest report, Phillips told investigators she carried the loaded handgun in her purse for protection while away from home. She said she normally unloaded the firearm after returning home and kept it inside her purse in a location she believed was out of her children’s reach.
Investigators said that on the night of the shooting, the handgun was not unloaded before the purse was placed on the kitchen island.
Phillips now faces a criminal charge in connection with the child’s death. The charge is an allegation, and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
