Toddler fatally shoots self on Christmas Day, father charged

Conway - A two-year-old South Carolina boy is dead after reportedly grabbing his father's gun and shooting himself on Christmas night, police said. His father is facing manslaughter charges.

Horry Coroner Robert Edge tells WMBF News that the child, identified as Sincere Tymere Smith, died from a gunshot wound to the chest while in route to the Medical University of South Carolina. NewsChannel 15 reported that the two-year-old boy, who would have turned three in March, grabbed a gun that was on a table and shot himself around 6 p.m. on Christmas night at a home on Daisy Lane near Conway, said Horry County police Sergeant Robert Kegler. Kegler, spokesman for the Horry County Police Dept., says the gun belongs to 30-year-old Rondell Javon Smith of Conway. Smith is Sincere's father, according to Myrtle Beach Sun News. Family members tell NewsChannel 15 that Smith recently bought the gun because someone tried to break into the family's home two weeks ago. Police charged 30-year-old Smith with Involuntary Manslaughter. Sun News and NewsChannel 15 report that Smith was still in custody at J. Reuben Long Detention Center as of Wednesday afternoon and no bail had been set. WMBF news reports Smith was released from J. Reuben Long Detention Center Wednesday afternoon with a $500 personal recognizance bond.