Former officer pleads guilty after 3-year-old fatally shoots himself, court documents say

BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX) - A former Centerville officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to involuntary manslaughter after a 3-year-old got his hands on a gun and accidentally fatally shot himself, according to court documents.

Documents say Benjamin Bishop was indicted in June and initially faced charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, and endangering children. Reckless homicide and endangering children charges were dismissed as a part of the plea agreement, the documents say.

Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Lindsay Sheehan says Bishop, the boyfriend of the toddler’s mother, left a gun he legally owned on the windowsill in the bedroom of a home on Park Avenue.

Upon arrival, Hamilton officers and firefighters found the 3-year-old, later identified as Jared Green Jr., suffering from a gunshot wound, Lt. Jon Richardson with the Hamilton Police Department said.

According to a 911 caller, the gunshot wound was on his head at the hairline.

Green was taken to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital where he later died, Lt. Richardson added.

Bishop worked at the Centerville Police Department but had resigned, Sheehan said. It is unclear why he left the force.

Bishop is expected to return to court for the sentencing on Nov. 6, court documents show, and he could face a maximum sentence of 16.5 years in prison.

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