A four-year-old girl, Deor Neita, died on July 5, 2023, after a loaded handgun was found by children playing in an upstairs room of a Cumberland apartment. Emergency responders pronounced Deor dead at the scene and the children’s great-grandmother, who had been downstairs, was left to deal with the aftermath.

Investigators traced ownership of the handgun to 25-year-old Terrelle Shawn Jackson, who was living in the home. Officials say he was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm and had failed to secure the loaded weapon in a residence with six young children. On September 8, 2023, Jackson was arrested by the Cumberland Metropolitan Police Department and charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a felony. He pleaded not guilty and was released on a $100,000 bond; a pre-trial hearing is scheduled for January 23, 2024.

What additional information about the circumstances or safety measures in the home might help explain how such an accessible weapon ended up within reach of several young children?