Johnston County father pleads guilty after charge in child’s accidental shooting death

A Johnston County father has pleaded guilty to a charge he faced after his 2-year-old son accidentally shot himself after finding and playing with his father’s gun.

Warren Tyler Oser faced a misdemeanor charge of failure to store firearms to protect a minor after his son Warren “Bennett” Oser shot himself after finding his father’s gun in his pickup truck on Oct. 16.

An investigation by the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office found that three firearms with no safety mechanisms engaged were left unattended in Oser’s truck, according to a news release.

The 2-year-old found a 40-caliber Smith & Wesson in his father’s parked truck behind their home while his father was nearby fixing a lawnmower, authorities said. The toddler died at Johnston Medical Center Clayton that evening.

The child’s parents called 911 and cooperated with authorities in the case, according to a news release.

Johnston County Assistant District Attorney Jason Waller said the case required his office to “balance sympathy for the loss of a beloved son against the need to promote gun safety and responsibility, especially around minors, in Johnston County,” according to a written statement.

On Nov. 7, another 2-year-old boy fatally shot himself by accident with a gun he found that belonged to his father in the town of Four Oaks.

According to the North Carolina Child Safety Task Force, there were 21 unintentional firearm deaths among children up to 17 years old between 2016 and 2020.