Ohio Heartbreak: 3-Year-Old Finds Loaded Gun in Family Home + Pulls the Trigger [REPORT]

A tragic shooting at an Ohio home has left a family devastated and a mother facing serious charges.

What Happened

On Thursday, Sept. 18, police were called to a home on Kodiak Dr. near Canal Winchester just before 9 a.m.

Officers found 3-year-old Cartier Smith suffering from a gunshot wound.

He was rushed to the hospital but pronounced dead less than an hour later, according to a complaint obtained by ABC6 and the Columbus Dispatch.

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Detectives determined that Cartier had found an unsecured handgun inside the home and accidentally shot himself.

Charges Against His Mother

Police say the gun had been left accessible due to the actions of Cartier’s mother, Carley Dials, 29.

According to the complaint, Dials had picked up the firearm — which belonged to Sean Perrin, 31 — from the bedroom floor and placed it between the mattress and the wall before going to bed.

At some point, Cartier entered the room, found the gun, and discharged it.

Dials has been arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with her son’s death. She is being held at the Franklin County Jail on a $50,000 bond.

Additional Charges

Perrin, the gun’s owner, is also facing a weapons charge, police confirmed.

Community Reminder

Investigators emphasized the importance of secure firearm storage, noting that tragedies like this are preventable.

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Leaving guns accessible to children, they stressed, can have devastating — and irreversible — consequences.