In June 2022, four-year-old Jerry Anderson III, known as Trey, died after finding a loaded gun in his Germantown home and accidentally shooting himself. Police initially described the shooting as appearing accidental. The autopsy and subsequent investigation say the firearm had been kept in a bedroom drawer by grandfather Jerry Anderson Sr., and the weapon was loaded, within reach, and had been reported stolen. Father Jerry Anderson Jr. was present when the child found the gun; he and the grandfather gave conflicting accounts to investigators.

In May 2024 both men were indicted on allegations that their neglect that day resulted in serious bodily injury and Trey’s death. At the time of his son’s death, Anderson Jr. was already facing unrelated charges from a 2020 shooting; he later pleaded guilty to lesser counts in that case and received eight years of probation in February 2024. Both men were arrested after the indictment and released on bond. The family reports frustration about delays in the case and that the defendants remain out on bond.

If anyone knew the family or has information about how the firearm came to be stored in the home, please share what you know.