Dad whose toddler found his gun, fatally shot Brooklyn Park man, sentenced to years in prison
MINNEAPOLIS — A 23-year-old Brooklyn Park man was sentenced to more than six years in prison after his toddler found his handgun and accidentally shot a man to death with it.
Marlon Jermaine White struck a deal with Hennepin County prosecutors in October by pleading guilty to one count of second-degree manslaughter in exchange for the dismissal of a second count in connection with the deadly shooting of his friend on Sept. 28, 2022.
According to the criminal complaint, White told police he was at the victim's house and had a handgun with him, which he put under the couch "because he did not want Victim's brother to see it."
White left to pick up his 2-year-old son and returned to the victim's house. He told police he was on a Facetime call with another friend when he heard a gunshot, and then saw the victim running downstairs.
The complaint states White noticed his gun had moved from under the couch to atop it. He told police he grabbed his son and the gun, dropped the weapon off in his car, then returned to help his dying friend. Police recovered the gun and later confirmed it was the weapon that fired the fatal shot.
The friend on the Facetime call with White later told police he heard what sounded like a gunshot, followed by a child's screams and White crying and yelling, "What happened," the complaint states.
The friend alleged White told him his son had shot the victim, who died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office.
White was sentenced on Wednesday to 75 months in prison, with a credit of seven days for time served.
