An Indianapolis woman was charged with neglect after prosecutors say her 2-year-old son grabbed a handgun from her purse and fatally shot himself in a CVS pharmacy parking lot on June 19.
Keiara Bickett, 28, was arrested Aug. 21 and charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a level-one felony that carries a possible 20- to 40-year prison term if she is convicted. Court records and police reports say the child, identified as Javarius, fired the weapon while he was in the back seat of the vehicle; an eight-year-old sister witnessed the shooting.
Police and investigators say Bickett had an unzipped bag perched on the vehicle's center console and that Javarius was able to reach inside and retrieve a 9mm Glock Model 26 Gen 5. Officers recovered the handgun and a loaded magazine from the driver-side floor, and noted the spent bullet was found on the passenger side, according to court documents.
Bickett told investigators she started the trip with Javarius in his car seat but not buckled. She said she stopped at a gas station and later drove to the CVS to pick up a prescription. When she arrived, she attempted to use the drive-thru but found it closed, and she was texting while trying to park, court records show. She told authorities she did not see her child with the gun.
An account from the eight-year-old sister gave additional detail on how the toddler came to be near the weapon. The sister told investigators that she and her mother had been holding Javarius while the car was moving and that he at one point crawled into the front passenger seat and sat on her lap. The child said she was playing a game on her phone and only looked up when she heard a “loud noise,” then saw her brother fall to the floor. Bickett dialed 911; Javarius was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Bickett posted a $50,000 surety bond and appeared at a court hearing where a judge temporarily revoked her custody of the eight-year-old. The judge permitted Bickett to return to the home to care for her stepfather but ordered that she may not stay overnight there and must not be alone with her daughter. Melissa Etheridge, Bickett’s mother, was granted custody of the child at least until Bickett’s next court date, set for Sept. 22.
Etheridge told local media her daughter would never intentionally harm her children and described the family as devastated. “It’s tearing me up. It’s tearing her daughter up,” she said.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears issued a statement emphasizing safe-storage measures and training for gun owners. “Until our state requires basic licensing and training for gun owners, families will remain at risk,” Mears said. “Safe storage and responsible gun owners are not optional - it’s a matter of life and death.”
A national gun-training organization, Concealed Coalition, noted that acquiring a firearm in Indiana generally involves visiting a licensed dealer, passing a background check and purchasing the weapon. Indiana law permits both open and concealed carry in most parts of the state.
Investigators continue to review the circumstances surrounding the shooting, including the placement of the bag and the sequence of events inside the vehicle that led to the two-year-old gaining access to the loaded handgun. Court records filed in the case and statements from family members have shaped the charging decision and the temporary custody measures ordered by the judge.
Bickett is scheduled to appear in court again on Sept. 22. Officials have not released additional charges or a trial date as the investigation and prosecution proceed.