The family of a 7-year-old St. Louis boy who was killed over the weekend believes that the boy’s younger brother found the gun and accidentally killed his sibling while looking for candy.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that little Jermon Perry was shot in the head at his home around 2:15 p.m. Saturday. He was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved.
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Erica Jones, the god-sister of the boys’ mother, who is acting as a spokesperson for the family, said that it is believed that Jermon’s 5-year-old brother walked into his parents’ bedroom looking for candy when he opened a dresser drawer, found the gun, which belonged to their father, and took it back to his siblings.
Jermon was struck as he was playing a video game. Jermon’s twin brother was also in the bedroom.
Jones said that the 5-year-old probably did not know the difference between a toy gun and a real weapon. The father, 39-year-old Jericho Perry, who has a concealed carry permit for the gun, had just gone outside to help a relative when the child found the weapon.
“He never thought the kids would get to the gun,” Jones said. “They were in a upstairs bedroom and their mother was in the kitchen cooking.
“She normally hides candy from them so they don’t go in there and eat it all,” Jones added.
The boys’ mother, Michelle Lawson, ran upstairs when she heard the shot and found Jermon bleeding in the chair as other relatives also rushed in.
“He was still alive when she came into the room,” Jones said, adding that Jermon “was the sweetest kid ever. He would tell you if he likes you and tell you if you had pretty hair.”
Jermon’s brothers still don’t truly understand what happened.
“They are asking, ‘Where is he at?’” Jones said. “They are asking if ‘Mon Mon’ is coming home from the hospital today. They are not understanding that he is not coming home.”
All of this on top of the fact that the boys’ mother is battling cancer. Lawson reportedly underwent a double mastectomy in 2014, according to Jones, but the cancer has reportedly returned.
According to WMUR-TV, police said they aren’t pursuing any criminal charges at this time.
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