The 29-year-old uncle of a boy who apparently found a handgun and shot himself is facing charges.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the child, Jadarrius Speights, 3, was taken to Florida Hospital just after 7 p.m. Tuesday. He died there.
Detectives have charged Jeffrey Walker with culpable negligence, a third-degree felony.
Detectives say Walker shared a bedroom with the child and had left the 9 mm handgun unsecured in a backpack. The shooting happened at the Avesta Apartments on the 13000 block of North 22nd Street. The boy's parents were in the next room when the shooting happened.
Walker left the room, and it's believed the boy got the gun out of the backpack and accidentally shot himself, according to deputies.
Deputies say Walker, who has a concealed weapons permit, could face five years in prison. Walker bonded out of jail on Wednesday and has a first appearance scheduled for Thursday.
Detectives are trying to determine whether the boy's parents knew Walker had a gun.
The Department of Children and Families added there are no other children in the home where the shooting happened and there were no prior incidents.