KENT COUNTY, Mich. — A Kentwood man who was supervising a 2-year-old boy who shot and killed himself back in May was sentenced Wednesday.
Markus Nevills Jr. was sentenced to a minimum of 18 months in jail.
The shooting took place in May when 2-year-old Kiaire McCoy found Nevills Jr.'s gun wedged in a couch cushion. Kiaire fired the gun once, killing himself.
Jikya Reddick, Kiaire's mother, was in the home when he shot and killed himself.
She later said Kiaire was full of laughs and that everyone instantly loved him.
"He could light up a room. He was a talker. Loved his mommy so much," Reddick said.
Nevills Jr. admitted to police that he was "zoned out" on marijuana and scrolling on his phone at the time of the shooting, early court documents revealed.
Reddick testified in court that she did not want the firearm in her home and was not aware of the location of the gun at the time of the shooting. She also revealed in the cross-examination that she was also using marijuana that evening.
A detective also testified that Nevills Jr. said that if he was paying more attention, the shooting would not have occurred. Nevills Jr. also told detectives that marijuana usage and general carelessness played a factor, according to detective testimony.
Nevills Jr. was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter. A plea deal reduced that charge to second-degree child abuse.
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