In September, 12-year-old Tyler Taffe died. His mother and brother have been charged with his death.
Vicki Behenna, the district attorney for Oklahoma County, said that people need to be held responsible and that she has been adamant about stopping accidental killings.
That’s also why her office gives away free gun locks. “Obviously, toddlers and little kids don’t know how dangerous it is to have a gun or other firearm nearby.
So, when we got reports that toddlers or young children had killed a brother or shot themselves or someone else, I decided that we would look into those cases. “Again, it’s a deep dive into the facts,” Behenna said.
An affidavit of probable cause goes into great depth about the terrible death of Taffe, a student at Millwood Public Schools.
Karshena Cotton, his mother, and Logan Walker, his 18-year-old brother, have now been charged with neglecting the child.
Our first step is to look at the facts of the case and decide if the parts of the charge, in this case child neglect, fit. She said, “And if they do, we’ll go ahead and file the charges.”
The affidavit says Taffe was at home when the killing happened with Cotton, Walker, and two other teens.
Walker told police that he was playing video games when he heard shouts and a big boom. He then found Taffe’s body.
Cotton told the police that it was her gun and that in early September she had taken Walker and someone else to the gun range.
She said Walker locked up the gun and ammo, but she wasn’t sure if he did it.
Walker told the police that he had extra bullets from the gun range in his pocket and that he had filled one of the magazines when they got home.
He said the gun was never locked up or hidden, and he saw Taffe pick it up on a different day than the killing.
“We’re grown ups.” “Everyone has the right to own a gun, and as many guns as they want. All I ask is that you be safe and keep it out of the hands of children,” Behenna said.
The Oklahoma District Attorney’s Office gives the free gun locks to anyone who owns a gun. If you want one, please call their office.