TITUSVILLE, Fla. — A man on probation for manslaughter involving the shooting death of a child is behind bars after a 9-year-old girl in his care was shot accidentally by her sibling Saturday.
- 9-year-old girl accidentally shot by sibling in the woods
- Dustin Matthew Adkins, 34, charged with child neglect in shooting
- He's on probation for manslaughter in shooting death of child
According to Titusville Police, the incident happened Saturday afternoon, when four young children and Titusville man Dustin Matthew Adkins, 34, were in a wooded area east of State Road 407 and north of Interstate 95 shooting firearms.
Public Information Officer Amy L. Matthews in a news release said Adkins left the kids unsupervised, and the 9-year-old girl was shot by her sibling accidently while he was allegedly shooting at a target.
The girl was critically injured and taken to Parrish Medical Center. She was eventually transported by helicopter to an Orlando hospital.
Hospital officials reportedly contacted Titusville Police that a child was brought to the emergency room with a gunshot wound.
Officers responded to both the hospital and the wooded area where the girl was shot. According to Matthews, they found several firearms in the woods that was “hidden under a disposed tire.”
Adkins has been charged with aggravated child neglect with great bodily harm, violation of felony probation, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of ammunitions by a convicted felon.
He is currently on probation for manslaughter involving the shooting death of a child, according to police.
Adkins is being held at Brevard County Jail.