Ervin Gerard Sims Jr was a 6-year-old African American boy from Marianna, Florida, who died after being accidentally shot in the head on January 26, 2018. He was air-lifted to Pensacola for treatment but died a few days later. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the shooting at the family home in Marianna.

Investigators concluded the shooting was accidental but resulted from negligence. On February 27, 2018 the State Attorney issued a warrant charging his mother, Whitney Dionne Smith, with child neglect; she was taken into custody and held at the Jackson County Corrections Facility. The case drew attention locally because another child in Jackson County had been accidentally shot and injured earlier that month.

Anyone who knew the family or has information about safety practices in homes in Marianna is asked to share what they know.