Watch CBS News

Phillip Jones Jr. Sentenced To 57 Months After His Gun Was Used In Accidental Killing Of 6-Year-Old

MOORHEAD, Minn. (WCCO) -- A Moorhead man will spend nearly five years in prison after a child was accidentally shot and killed with a gun he owned illegally, officials said.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota, 34-year-old Phillip Jones Jr. was sentenced to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release Tuesday.

In March 2021, Moorhead police responded to a home on a report a 6-year-old boy had been shot. Paramedics tried to save the boy, but he was pronounced dead.

According to the attorney's office, another child found a loaded pistol in Jones' kitchen and it "went off, hitting and killing" the 6-year-old.

Jones is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to prior felony convictions, the attorney's office said.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.