In the summer of 2017, the life of two-year-old Jacarion Antonio Gladden was cut tragically short in his Lancaster, South Carolina home. The young male child died from a single gunshot wound to the chest. The events of that July evening would unravel a story of negligence and legal consequences for those responsible for his care.
Initially, Jacarion's mother, Toni Lashay Gladden, 26, and her live-in boyfriend, Shazeem Tyrell Hayes, 18, rushed the child towards the hospital after the
shooting, crashing their car along the way. Jacarion was ultimately pronounced dead at Springs Memorial Hospital. The subsequent investigation into the little boy's death was initially hindered by misleading statements from his mother. This led to a charge of misprision of a felony against her, in addition to a charge of unlawful conduct toward a child. Hayes was also charged with unlawful conduct toward a child.
As investigators delved deeper, a grim picture of the circumstances emerged. Hayes, a convicted felon who was on probation and legally barred from possessing a firearm, admitted to leaving his loaded 9mm handgun in the living room of the home he shared with Gladden and her children. He told police he placed the weapon down and walked away, and a short time later, a gunshot was heard. Both adults ran back into the room to find Jacarion on the couch with a fatal chest wound. Police concluded that the shooting was not an intentional act, but rather a result of what Lancaster Police Chief Scott Grant described as 'extreme criminal negligence'. It was also revealed that Gladden was aware that Hayes often kept the unsecured, loaded weapon in the presence of her children. A later autopsy report would add another layer of tragedy, revealing the presence of cocaine in the two-year-old's system.
In the ensuing legal proceedings, Shazeem Hayes was denied bond. He eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for his role in the toddler's death. Toni Gladden was initially held on a $60,000 bond. She, too, was later sentenced for her part in the tragic death of her son. The case highlighted the devastating consequences of recklessness and the failure to protect a vulnerable child, leaving a community to mourn the loss of a young life.
