Durham Mom Charged After 4-Year-Old Son Kamarii Patterson Accidentally Shoots Himself

Kamarii Patterson’s Mom Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter

A Durham mother is now facing involuntary manslaughter charges after police say her 4-year-old son, Kamarii Patterson, fatally shot himself with an unsecured gun inside a home.

According to a press release from the Durham Police Department, officers responded to a call of a shooting around 9:00 p.m. on June 23 in the 800 block of N. Briggs Avenue. When they arrived, they discovered Kamarii Patterson, just four years old, suffering from a gunshot wound.

He was rushed to a local hospital but sadly died from his injuries.

Police Say the Gun Was Left Unsecured

Initial reports stated that the shooting appeared to be accidental, with Kamarii reportedly accessing a firearm that had been left unsecured inside the home.

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Over a month later, on Tuesday, August 5, Durham police arrested 26-year-old Tiera McArthur, Kamarii’s mother, charging her with involuntary manslaughter in connection to her son’s death.

McArthur was also served with a warrant for failure to appear from another jurisdiction, police said.

She was given a $50,000 secured bond, which she posted Tuesday afternoon, according to jail records.

McArthur is scheduled to make her first appearance on Wednesday morning.