Three-year-old Jermonie Keymonie Vinson died on the evening of April 23, 2020, after a gunshot wound at a home on River Birch Loop Road in Ooltewah, Tennessee. A family friend who visited that night, 19-year-old Derrick Lamont Ruffin Jr., brought a stolen pistol into the residence and did not secure it. Jermonie picked up the unsecured firearm, which discharged and struck him in the chest. He was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead on arrival. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office responded about 10:40 p.m.

Detectives arrested Derrick Lamont Ruffin Jr. on April 24, 2020. Investigators concluded his handling and failure to secure the weapon directly led to Jermonie’s death; the gun was determined to be stolen. Ruffin was booked on charges that included reckless homicide, reckless endangerment, unlawful possession of a weapon and theft under $1,000. Family and community members held a funeral to remember the child.

If anyone has information about that evening or Jermonie’s last hours, please come forward to help the investigation.