John David Jaffey

John David Jaffey, a 3-year-old White male, was remembered by his family as a beautiful, loving, fun, and energetic child. Known as "JJ," he loved toys and cartoons like “PAW Patrol” and “PJ Masks.” His father, Michael Jaffey, called him a "bundle of joy" who was smart and loved playing video games. His paternal aunt, Katrina Corbridge, recalled his "biggest cheesy smile" that would make his eyes squint. John’s family looked forward to seeing him go to school and discover what he wanted to become in life.

The tragedy that cut his life short occurred on the evening of December 16, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. John was with his mother, 25-year-old Jasmin Vargas, at an apartment complex in the 1300 block of Arlington Street. Vargas was with friends in the parking lot when she decided to retrieve her Taurus 9 mm semi-automatic handgun from her car, reportedly to show it to them. She had purchased the gun about a month earlier for protection because of her small stature.

Witnesses told police from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department that Vargas was handling the weapon when she handed it to a friend, who was warned by another person not to pull the trigger. Vargas took the gun back, removed the safety, and, believing it was unloaded, said, "There's nothing in there." She then pointed the gun in front of her and pulled the trigger. A single round discharged, striking her son, John, in the head as he stood about six feet in front of her.

A neighbor drove John and his mother to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Vargas told investigators she was surprised the gun fired because she had test-fired it in the desert the day before and didn't understand why a bullet was still in the chamber. The Clark County Coroner's Office later determined John's cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and ruled it a homicide.

Jasmin Vargas was arrested and initially charged with two felony counts of child abuse resulting in substantial bodily harm with the use of a deadly weapon. Her bail was set at $80,000. The case brought to light a previous history with the Clark County Department of Family Services, which had substantiated a claim of neglect against the family in 2014, leading to formal supervision until 2017.

John's paternal family expressed immense grief and shock over the incident, questioning Vargas's actions. His grandmother, Katie Mickolafsky, said, "You are supposed to be his protector. How did she not protect him?" The family set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral and burial expenses. His father, Michael Jaffey, later spoke of his devastation, saying, "I wanted to see him go to school, be successful and be better than I am. Now I don’t get to witness that." He is now left with only pictures and an urn holding his son's ashes.

In June 2021, Jasmin Vargas pleaded guilty to a single count of child abuse, neglect, or endangerment resulting in substantial bodily harm. During her sentencing in April 2022, her defense attorney argued that she had done something "foolish" and "negligent" that she would have to live with for the rest of her life. Crying, Vargas read a statement asking for forgiveness.

District Judge Monica Trujillo sentenced Jasmin Vargas to probation. The case, which concluded with this sentence in April 2022, highlights what John's aunt described as a failure to understand the responsibilities of gun ownership. She urged people to take safety classes, stating, "You always treat a gun as if it’s loaded regardless of if it is or is not... And, you never aim it at anything you don’t plan to destroy."