NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A 3-year-old boy was accidentally shot and killed in Newport News last week. Now, the boy’s father is facing additional charges in connection to the incident, according to police.
On Thursday, April 6, the Newport News Police Department responded to a report of a shooting at 1234 26th Street. At the scene, police said they found a 3-year-old boy who had been shot. The boy died at the scene, and police said the shooting appeared to be accidental.
According to court documents, the boy's father, Nathan Copeland, told detectives that his uncle brought the gun to the residence the night before the shooting, and found it on his car's passenger side when he was getting his wallet from his car.
Court documents say Copeland told detectives he brought the firearm into his residence for safe keeping, placed it into a cardboard box, then placed the box on top of a marijuana growing tent.
Police say the firearm was not secured, and according to Copeland, there was a magazine inside of the firearm.
Copeland then went to bed and locked his door, later letting his son into the room to sleep in his bed, according to the court paperwork.
According to the documents, the morning of the shooting Copeland went downstairs to prepare his son for the school day while his son was still asleep, then heard a loud bang and ran upstairs.
Court documents say when he ran upstairs, he found his son laying face up on the floor with a gunshot wound to his head.
Michael Morton and his wife Meri are in disbelief. They knew the three-year-old boy. They live a couple doors down from the home on 26th Street.
“He was a relatively sweet little boy; he took to my wife immediately as soon as he saw her, so I was devastated to hear that happened,” said Michael Morton.
Michael Morton said he’s known Copeland for a few years and called him a loving father. He couldn’t believe the Copeland would leave a gun unsecured.
“That’s pretty sad to hear,” he said. “I can only imagine what he’s feeling, how he’s beating himself up over not taking the time to secure it better.”
That day, Morton remembers seeing the father in agony over the loss of his son.
“He completely collapsed and hit the ground, and there were police officers around him, but he was just weeping and wailing on the ground, inconsolable,” he said. “I knew the man well enough to know that anyone that wailed and wept the way he did, it had to have been a loss of life.”
Retired Norfolk Police Officer Rick James called the lack of proper gun safety measures in homes across the U.S. a crisis.
“The situation is getting worse,” said James. “Until something is done, children are going to continue to die.”
According to detectives, Copeland admitted to being a convicted felon.
A search warrant was completed at Copeland's residence, where detectives say they seized 48 marijuana plants, packaging material, plastic baggies of "suspected marijuana," scales and money.
Earlier in the department’s investigation, the boy’s father, Nathan Copeland, was charged with distribution/possession of marijuana with intent.
Now, after further investigating the accidental shooting, the department says additional charges for Copeland have been obtained. Copeland now faces the following charges, according to NNPD: child abuse/neglect: reckless disregard for life; possession of a firearm by a violent convicted felon; and firearm: leave loaded, endangering child.
Copeland remains in custody, according to police.
Stay with News 3 for updates.
