A Georgia father has been arrested after his three-year-old child got hold of a gun and fatally shot themself inside a home, with prosecutors now pursuing manslaughter charges seven months after the tragedy.
Dante Vinson, who now lives in Oglethorpe, south of Macon, faces a felony count of involuntary manslaughter and a misdemeanor charge of reckless conduct following the death of his son, Kamron West, in March.
Investigators say the toddler somehow gained access to a firearm at a property in Butler, Georgia, and suffered a fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The arrest follows a lengthy investigation into how the youngster was able to get hold of the weapon and whether the death could have been prevented.
The shooting happened on Saturday, March 7. Deputies were called to the property at approximately 5:20pm after receiving a report that someone had been shot.
While officers were heading to the scene, they learned the victim was a very young child.
The child's mother had already placed the youngster inside her vehicle and begun driving toward Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in a desperate attempt to get medical help.
Emergency responders intercepted her vehicle along the way and took over efforts to save the child.
Dante Vinson was arrested after his young son Kamron West fatally shot himself with a gun at a Georgia home in March of this year
Vinson faces felony involuntary manslaughter and misdemeanor reckless conduct charges over the circumstances surrounding Kam's access to the weapon
Despite attempts to save the youngster's life, the child died from the gunshot injury.
The child's mother, Joanna Nicole Vinson, later revealed the desperate efforts she made to keep her little boy alive as the tragedy unfolded.
In a heartbreaking Facebook post on March 8, the day after the shooting, she described performing CPR, giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and applying pressure in an attempt to save him.
'Mommy tried, mommy tried baby mommy tried,' she wrote. 'Mouth to mouth, cpr, holding the pressure! Mommy tried
'You left me baby you left me. Where do I go from here where lord where. What is the reason Jesus please God give me strength.'
The circumstances surrounding the shooting prompted an investigation involving the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and detectives from the Taylor County Sheriff's Office.
For more than seven months, investigators examined the events leading up to the child's death, with particular focus on how the firearm had become accessible to the child.
Their findings ultimately led to Vinson's arrest, announced by the sheriff's office last Wednesday.
It remains unclear exactly how little Kam managed to get hold of the gun, with authorities yet to reveal where the weapon was kept or whether it had been secured
Kam's mother, Joanna Nicole Vinson, desperately tried CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in an attempt to save her little boy. She is seen pictured alongside Dante Vinson
Kam's heartbroken mother posted several tributes following the death of her son
Authorities have not explained exactly where the gun was kept, whether it was loaded and left unsecured, or how long the child had access to it before the shooting.
However, officials made clear that the criminal allegations arise directly from the circumstances in which the child was able to reach the weapon.
'This was an extremely tragic incident involving the loss of an innocent three-year-old child,' Taylor County Sheriff John Sawyer said in a statement.
'No investigation or criminal charge can undo the loss of a young life.'
The sheriff stressed the case should serve as a warning to gun owners about the consequences of failing to prevent children from reaching firearms.
He urged anyone keeping a weapon at home to ensure it was properly secured and inaccessible to youngsters.
'A moment of carelessness can result in consequences that can never be reversed,' Sawyer warned.
Six months after her son's death, Vinson was still struggling to come to terms with losing him, revealing in another emotional Facebook post how she repeatedly relived his final moments.
Kam's tragic death prompted a lengthy investigation involving the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and local sheriff's deputies
Family members continue to post online about the loss they've suffered following the little boy's death
'6 months and it seems like forever since I seen your sweet face. 6 months I've fought so hard with this depression,' she wrote in September.
'6 months of replaying my scream when I got the news. 6 months replaying you looking at me while you take your final breaths.'
She continued: '2 years was not enough time I deserved more than what I got. 6 months of feeling like I'm living in hell!'
The grieving mother ended her message: 'I swear mommy is trying so hard to get on the right path to be with you again, just know I'm not giving up. I love you my handsome man! Kisses to heaven. MY HARDEST GOODBYE.'
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