An Indianapolis mother is facing 20 to 40 years in prison if convicted after her 2-year-old son allegedly took out a gun from her purse and fatally shot himself in the presence of his then-8-year-old sister.
Per WTHR, Keiara Bickett, 28, has also temporarily lost custody of her daughter, who is now 9, after a judge issued her a no-contact order with the minor.
Authorities stated that the fatal June 19 incident occurred at a CVS parking lot. Bickett is said to have informed authorities that her son had shot himself in the head with a gun she had in her car.
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Bickett told officers that she was riding with her son Javarius and her then-8-year-old daughter at the time of the incident. She said her daughter was seated in the front seat while her son was in his car seat, though his seatbelt had not been strapped.
Bickett said they initially passed by a gas station before making their way to a CVS for a prescription. Court documents stated that when she arrived at CVS, she made her way to a drive-thru, but it was not open. She then texted a friend after parking.
It was around that time when Bickett noticed Javarius had gotten out of his car seat. Though police said that Bickett could not tell how Javarius left his car seat, she said he was in the car’s front section.
Javarius later managed to take out the gun from his mother’s purse before he shot himself inside the car. In the aftermath of the incident, Bickett contacted authorities. She told police that the gun belonged to her, but she did not notice Javarius in possession of the weapon until after she heard the gunshot, WTHR reported.
Javarius succumbed to his injuries at a hospital, and Bickett has since been charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death. Bickett’s mother, Melissa Etheridge, came to her defense and described the incident as “an absolute accident.”
“She may have had negligence for not having the gun in a safe place, but she would never harm any of her children. She loves her kids to death. It’s tearing me up. It’s tearing her daughter up,” Etheridge said.
“I know she should have punishment for what happened, but that’s just too much,” Etheridge also said. “Everybody’s painting a picture of her that she’s an evil person. She is a great mother. She takes care of her children. She does not do anything that would ever harm her children. She takes very good care of them. They have everything they want, everything they need.”
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