In the late afternoon of September 3, 2026, a sense of normalcy in a Columbia, South Carolina, apartment was shattered by the sound of a single gunshot. Inside, 3-year-old Erin Amir LaThaddeus Myers, a boy described by his family as loving, curious, and a fan of dinosaurs and dump trucks, had gained access to an unsecured firearm. The resulting self-inflicted gunshot wound to his upper body would tragically end his life, leaving a family and a community in profound grief. Erin's parents were in the home at the time but in a different room, and they immediately called 911 upon discovering what had happened. First responders arrived to find the young boy critically injured. He was rushed to a local hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal.
The investigation into the tragic death of young Erin quickly focused on his uncle, 21-year-old Tyrone Thompson Jr.. According to Columbia police, Thompson was in the room with his nephew and had left the handgun unattended, allowing the curious toddler to find and handle the weapon. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, instead of rendering aid or calling for help, Thompson fled the scene with the firearm. He was later located and arrested by Richland County deputies. The gun, which he allegedly disposed of after leaving the apartment, had not been recovered by investigators in the days following the incident. Thompson, who was reportedly on parole at the time of the shooting, was a convicted felon and was prohibited from legally possessing a firearm.
Tyrone Thompson Jr. was taken into custody and charged with unlawful conduct toward a child, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and obstruction of justice. He was booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center and a judge set his bond at $250,000. A court hearing was scheduled for November 20, 2026. In the wake of this devastating loss, Erin's family, while expressing their heartbreak, also issued a statement of love and forgiveness towards Thompson, acknowledging his own pain and grief. They also made a public plea for gun safety, urging the community to take every precaution to secure firearms and prevent another family from experiencing such an unimaginable tragedy. The case highlighted the devastating consequences of unsecured firearms in the hands of children and left a family to navigate a future without their bright and bubbly little boy. The overview of the case is that a young child's life was cut short due to access to an unsecured weapon, leading to the arrest of a family member and a community conversation on firearm responsibility.
