Stepdad jailed in boy's death
Child shot himself with gun he found
Sunday, June 19, 2005
By Wayne Knabb
Staff writer
The stepfather of a 2-year-old boy who fatally shot himself Friday with a loaded gun the child found under a playpen was arrested late Friday and booked with negligent homicide, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee said Saturday.
"He said he hid the gun under the playpen because he was too lazy to put it up," Lee said.
Quallion Louis, 22, of 200 Deckbar Ave., Jefferson, also was booked with possession of stolen property in connection with the death of his stepson, Troy Bickham, Lee said.
Troy accidentally shot himself in the eye with the .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol at his home at 713 Hooter Road, Bridge City, while he was in a room with his 1-year-old sister and 6-year-old brother Friday about 8:30 p.m. Troy's mother and stepfather were in the living room at the time of the shooting, according to the Sheriff's Office .
The child was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. He would have been 3 years old Saturday, Lee said.
The pistol had been reported stolen in September. The sheriff didn't know where it was stolen from. Louis told investigators that he owned the weapon, which he had "bought off the street" about a month ago, Lee said.
A bond of $76,000 was set for Louis, who remained in jail Saturday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center.
