Boy, 3, fatally shot his younger brother, officials say; parents charged

COVINGTON, Ky. (WXIX/Gray News) - Officials say the parents of a 2-year-old Kentucky boy have been charged with manslaughter after the toddler’s 3-year-old brother got a hold of a loaded gun and fatally shot him.

The 2-year-old’s death - along with the fatal shooting of a 14-year-old Covington teen by another minor earlier this week - are both tragedies that could have easily been avoided with better gun storage and supervision of children, said Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney Rob Sanders in a Friday morning news conference.

“Neither of these deaths would have happened if children weren’t in possession of guns,” he said.

In the case of the toddler, Khalil Adams, both of his parents were arrested and charged Thursday with manslaughter. Court records show their 3-year-old son got a hold of a loaded gun and fatally shot his brother in their Latonia home Monday afternoon, WXIX reports.

“This shooting death was caused by the fact that two adults left this gun with a loaded round in the chamber around a 3-year-old they did not supervise,” Sanders said. “This is certainly not an indictment on guns or gun ownership. It’s a reminder to supervise your children and keep loaded guns properly stored.”

Khalil’s mother, 23-year-old Selena Farrell, made her first court appearance via video arraignment from the Kenton County Jail. She pleaded not guilty in her’s son death, and her bond was set at $50,000.

She was also charged with leaving the weapon out within reach of the small child.

Farrell faces charges of manslaughter, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, abandonment of a minor and a probation violation for a felony offense, according to jail records. She returns to court Monday for her probation violation then Wednesday for the new charges.

Khalil’s father, 21-year-old Tashaun Adams, was with Farrell in a Boone County hotel room when U.S. Marshals tracked her down on a probation violation, Sanders said.

He is accused of hiding Farrell and is charged with manslaughter and hindering prosecution. He made a brief appearance in a Boone County courtroom on the latter charge Friday morning and returns Feb. 15. His bond is set at $25,000.

As he is being held at the Boone County Jail, he must be moved to the Kenton County Jail before he can appear in court there on the manslaughter charge, jail supervisors tell WXIX.

The Kenton County Sheriff’s Office has been notified to pick him up anytime.

A third suspect, 20-year-old Jeremiah Thomas, was arrested Thursday in connection with hiding Farrell in the hotel room. He was booked into the Boone County Jail on a charge of hindering prosecution.

“Thomas was in the apartment when the shooting occurred but not in the same room,” Sanders said.

Thomas was released from jail by 6:48 p.m. Thursday on his own recognizance and has a Feb. 8 court date, jail records show.

The arrests come after Covington Police responded Monday to Warren Street near Skyline Apartments when they received a report of a child shot.

As officers approached the building, Adams exited carrying Khalil who was suffering a “through-and-through” gunshot wound to the chest and bleeding profusely, wrote police in Adams’ criminal complaint.

“Police officers began rendering aid in the streets until paramedics arrived and transported Khalil to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where he died from his wounds. A handgun was found discarded in some bar-b-q on the stove,” the complaint read.

Farrell fled before police arrived, and she never showed up at the hospital, according to police.

Investigators say she took off because she had a warrant out for a probation violation. She told police she fled because she had a warrant for her arrest, knew her son was going to die and wanted to be able to attend the funeral, police records show.

The toddler’s father told police that he was sleeping with Farrell on a mattress on the floor in the living room in the one-bedroom apartment when they heard a gunshot, according to the complaint.

The two boys sleep on a couch nearby, Sanders said Friday.

Adams told police he found Khalil bleeding profusely and called 911, the complaint states.

The 3-year-old boy involved in the shooting told police: “Daddy’s gun is in the drawer.”

Police wrote in the court filing that they observed the 3-year-old being interviewed at the NKY Children’s Advocacy Center.

The 3-year-old told the forensic interviewer he woke up Monday morning while “Spider-Man” was on TV and got the gun out of the drawer.

When the interviewer asked who shot Khalil, the 3-year-old responded “me,” according to the criminal complaint.

“A review of the police body camera footage shows ‘Spider-Man’ was still playing on the living room TV next to a pool of blood where Khalil was shot,” the court record states.

Police “believe Adams and Farrell caused Khalil’s death by failing to protect Khalil from (his 3-year-old brother) when a loaded handgun with a bullet in the chamber was within the 3-year-old’s reach,” the criminal complaint states.

Farrell told police she purchased the gun before she was convicted of a felony but gave it to Adams.

Sanders said Friday they told police they had the gun “for protection.”

Sanders said he assumes she did buy the gun before her felony conviction because it was purchased from a federally licensed firearm dealer, and they are “pretty proficient” about conducting proper background checks.

A subpoena has been issued for Kentucky’s children’s services records to see if there have been previous cases and/or interventions related to the young boys’ care and well-being, according to Sanders.

Reporter Courtney King contributed to this report.

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