ST. LOUIS — St. Louis prosecutors on Friday charged two people in the accidental shooting death of a 1-year-old boy in late August.
Alea Little, 24, and Donnell Straughter, 30, each were charged with one count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, a felony.
Little, who lives in the 900 block of Melvin Ave., is the mother of Khori Patterson, the boy who shot himself. Straughter, who lives in the 1800 block of Meadow Trails Drive in unincorporated north St. Louis County, is her boyfriend.
St. Louis police said the couple was lying in bed with Khori when he crawled off it at about 1 p.m. on Aug. 31. A short time later, Little heard a gunshot and found her son on the floor in his room, slumped over in a pool of blood, according to charging documents.
Police said Straughter told the boy's mother: "They can't know I had this gun. They can't know he shot himself with this gun."
Little told police that the night before Khori shot himself, Straughter had put a gun on a TV stand in her home. The boy would have been able to reach the gun, she said.
Police said Little knew the gun was there but that neither she nor Straughter made an effort to move it.
After the shooting and before police arrived, Straughter drove off in his vehicle. He did not go to St. Louis Children's Hospital, where doctors pronounced Khori dead. He also did not respond to attempts to reach him, police said.
Charging documents said a neighbor heard a "muffled" gunshot and saw a man run from the home and drive off.
On the day of the shooting, St. Louis police Interim Chief Michael Sack implored gun owners to lock up their weapons.
"Please keep (the gun) in a safe area, away from the child so the child can't get access to it—or better yet, use a gun lock," Sack said.
Gun locks are available from police, at fire houses throughout St. Louis and at several St. Louis Public Library branches through the city's Lock It for Love program.
Khori is among 12 children to die by gunfire in St. Louis in 2022, according to 5 On Your Side data.
A judge ordered Little and Straughter held without bail. Neither was in custody as of Sunday night.
Resources for crime victims
If you have been a victim of a crime or know someone who has been, 5 On Your Side has compiled a list of resources.
Better Family Life is a nonprofit community development organization working to "stabilize inner-city neighborhoods." One aspect of its mission is a gun violence de-escalation program.
Life Outside of Violence "helps those harmed by stabbing, gunshot or assault receive the treatment, support and resources they need to find alternatives to end the cycle of violence."
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis has an anti-crime program called “Safety Net for Youth Initiative,” which is a joint partnership with St. Louis Public Schools to provide services to at-risk youth.
Cure Violence is an international organization that has recently launched in a handful of St. Louis neighborhoods. Violence interrupters are trained to deescalate violent situations within their own communities.
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