NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville man has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in a case that was the result of his 3-year-old son shooting himself.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Kedrick Ross, 29, was sentenced on drug distribution and firearm charges. Ross was first indicted on the charges in 2019, and pleaded guilty to them in December 2020.
On December 13, 2018, Ross was arrested near Watkins College of Art while in possession of a stolen handgun, over 200 grams of marijuana and a methamphetamine mixture. While out on bond for those charges, Ross was found to be in possession of two other stolen handguns, as well as marijuana and meth on May 29, 2019. He was again found in possession of another stolen handgun and meth on September 9, 2019.
The handgun found in September was determined to be the same gun Ross left at a relative's house, where Ross's 3-year-old son accidentally shot himself in the head. During the investigation, it was learned that Ross attempted to persuade his cousin to claim the gun belonged to the cousin's deceased husband.
"Because of Ross's continued lifestyle of drug dealing and other criminal activity, an innocent child sustained life-altering injuries," U.S. Attorney Mark Wildasin of the Middle District of Tennessee said. "Too often, the reckless conduct of those involved in criminal activity results in tragic, unintended consequences as this case demonstrates."