*In a tragic incident in Indianapolis, 28-year-old Keiara Bickett faces serious charges after her 2-year-old son, Javarius Bickett, accessed her handgun and fatally shot himself.
On June 19, while in a CVS parking lot on East 46th Street, the toddler reached into Bickett’s unzipped purse, retrieving a 9mm Glock Model 26 Gen 5 handgun, according to WTHR. The child fired the weapon, striking himself in the head, and was pronounced dead at a hospital, Law & Crime reports.
Marion County court records indicate Bickett was charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death. During a court hearing, a judge issued a no-contact order preventing Bickett from seeing her 9-year-old daughter, who witnessed the event. The daughter is now under her grandmother’s care until September 22, when the Indiana Department of Child Services will provide input on the order. Bickett’s jury trial is set for November 18, with a potential sentence of 20 to 40 years if convicted.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears emphasized the need for responsible gun ownership. “Until our state requires basic licensing and training for gun owners, families will remain at risk,” Mears said. “Safe storage and responsible gun owner are not optional — it’s a matter of life and death.”
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Bickett’s mother, Melissa Etheridge, defended her daughter, calling the incident unintentional. “It was an absolute accident,” she said.
“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 added.
Etheridge acknowledged some punishment is warranted but argued that the potential 20-to-40-year sentence is excessive, insisting, “I know she should have punishment for what happened, but that’s just too much. Everybody’s painting a picture of her that she’s an evil person. She is a great mother.”
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