Tashaun Adams and Selena Farrell: Kentucky parents charged with manslaughter after 3-year-old son fatally shoots his 2-year-old brother

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

KENTUCKY, UNITED STATES: Kentucky authorities have charged the parents of a 3-year-old toddler, who fatally shot his 2-year-old brother, with manslaughter. 

According to CBS news, Selena Farrell, the 23-year-old mother, was arraigned on Friday, January 26, facing charges of second-degree manslaughter and other offenses as per court records. 

Tashaun Adams, the 21-year-old father, was arrested on second-degree manslaughter charges. However, he is yet to be arraigned, according to Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney Rob Sanders.

These charges have been brought forth due to their failure to keep a fully loaded, unsecured gun out of the reach of their children.

Police report to crime scene

A 2-year-old boy was fatally shot on Monday afternoon, January 22, in an apartment in Northern Kentucky.

Upon receiving the report, the police responded to the Northern Kentucky residence at approximately 12.45 pm local time on Monday. 

They quickly transported the injured 2-year-old boy, who had been shot by his brother, to the hospital. 

Unfortunately, the toddler later succumbed to his injuries. Covington police revealed that the mother reportedly fled the scene before law enforcement's arrival. 

Significantly, she did not present herself at the hospital where her son, Khalil Adams, passed away.

What did mother Selena Farrell claim?

The mother of the children, Selena Farrell, explained her absence at the crime scene to investigators, stating that she didn't want to be held in jail and possibly miss her children's funeral. 

Attorney Rob Sanders noted that she fled while the child was still alive. The parents informed detectives that they had the loaded handgun "for protection".

Sanders added that the family lived in a one-bedroom apartment with another person, sleeping on a floor mattress while the toddlers slept on a couch.

US Marshals located Farrell hiding out in a hotel room in Florence, Kentucky, and brought her in on an outstanding probation warrant related to a prior felony conviction, according to Sanders. 

She was with the children's father and another person who had no apparent familial relationship with the parents. All three were taken into custody by authorities. Farrell had purchased the gun from a federally licensed arms dealer, as per Sanders. 

The surviving 3-year-old toddler has no physical injuries, Sanders mentioned.

Adams is held in the Boone County jail, according to jail records, while Farrell is being held at the Kenton County Detention Center in Covington, Kentucky.

What did attorney Rob Sanders say?

During the press conference, Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney Rob Sanders asserted, "This was very much avoidable. This shooting death was caused by the fact that two adults left a loaded handgun with a round in the chamber within reach of a three-year-old child they did not supervise." 

He concluded, "Parents need to do a lot better job of supervising their children so we don't have children with guns. It's not the law that's the problem, it's the parenting."