PALM COAST, Fla. – A man was sentenced to prison Thursday after he shot and killed his 1-year-old niece in 2023 when he accidentally pulled the trigger of a rifle after posing for a social media photo in a Palm Coast home, officials said.
C.J. Nelson Jr. was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in February to manslaughter with a firearm.
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Authorities said Nelson, 21 at the time of the shooting, was at the home in September 2023 with a group of people.
Nelson was handling the rifle and inadvertently pulled the trigger, sending the bullet through a wall before it struck the 18-month-old in the head while she was playing in a hallway with her mother, officials said.
“The mother witnessed her daughter’s death at the hands of the toddler’s uncle and the mother’s brother,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said. “It is hard to imagine a more heart-wrenching scenario.”
At the time of his initial arrest, Nelson was on probation for improper exhibition of a dangerous weapon and possession of cannabis less than 20 grams.
According to the Order of Probation, Nelson was prohibited from possessing, carrying or owning a firearm.
