5-year-old boy died after his twin brother grabbed a hold of his mother’s loaded gun she kept in her purse on the nighstand and shot him in the chest; mother arrested
Georgia – In a heartbreaking tragedy in Georgia that underscores the dangers of unsecured firearms in the home, a 25-year-old mother, identified as L. Bennett, has been arrested after her 5-year-old son was accidentally shot and killed by his twin brother. Authorities say the incident occurred because the mother left a loaded handgun in her bedroom purse, easily accessible to the children.
Bennett has been charged with second-degree murder and cruelty to children in the second degree following the death of her young son, Jeremiah G. Police say Bennett’s negligence directly led to the fatal shooting, even though she was not the one who pulled the trigger. The tragedy unfolded Wednesday afternoonat their home. According to investigators, Jeremiah and his twin brother had been playing in their mother’s bedroom when they discovered her black purse on the nightstand. Inside, the boys found Bennett’s loaded handgun.
The arrest affidavit reveals that one twin picked up the weapon, pointed it at his brother’s chest, and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck Jeremiah, who collapsed as his sibling looked on in shock. “I just seen the ambulance go inside the apartment and they came out with a child and put him on a stretcher and started doing CPR,” a neighbor told local media. The same neighbor added in despair, “That could be my child, that could be anyone’s child.” Despite the desperate efforts of first responders, Jeremiah was pronounced dead from the gunshot wound.
Bennett was reportedly at home at the time of the shooting. While she did not fire the weapon herself, police determined that her failure to properly secure the gun amounted to criminal negligence. “Police have determined, thus far, on the minimum of facts that they have, her watching him, not well enough for him to be shot by another child in the household and then he died — that’s why she’s charged with murder,” defense attorney K. Frye said. Frye further explained, “It’s a murder charge based on the supervising adult’s negligence.” Authorities confirmed that Bennett remains in custody without bond. Alongside the murder charge, she faces cruelty to children in the second degree.
The police department emphasized that the tragedy could have been prevented, reminding the public that they provide free gun locks to parents and guardians to help ensure weapons are kept away from children. Everytown for Gun Safety, a national nonprofit focused on firearm-related deaths, noted that nearly one child in the United States gains access to a loaded gun and unintentionally shoots themself or someone else every single day — an average of 350 incidents each year. The organization also reported that 2023 was the worst year on record for accidental shootings by children, with more than 400 such tragedies.
Their data estimates that 4.6 million children in the U.S. currently live in homes with at least one loaded and unlocked firearm, highlighting the urgent need for awareness and preventive measures. As the investigation continues, Jeremiah’s death has left a community in mourning and reignited calls for responsible gun storage laws. While Bennett awaits her day in court, her case serves as a grim reminder of how quickly unsecured firearms can turn an ordinary day into an irreversible nightmare. Bennett faces the possibility of decades behind bars if convicted, while her surviving twin son must now grow up without his brother — the devastating cost of one moment of negligence.
