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SALT LAKE CITY — The father of a child who fatally shot himself in the head on May 26 has been charged with child abuse homicide, according to court documents.
Tasman William Maile, 27, of West Valley City, was charged with the second-degree felony in 3rd District Court on Thursday. He is also charged with one count of obstructing justice and three counts of possession of a firearm by a restricted person, third-degree felonies, and a class A misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Officers responded to Maile's home, 2782 S. Fair Isle Lane, about midnight on the report of a gunshot and saw a 2-year-old unconscious on the ground and his father's shirt covered in blood, according to charging documents. The boy later died of his injuries.
Officers found a handgun on the floor in the master bedroom, charges state.
"When officers searched the master bedroom, they noted that the condition of the room was untidy, with no furniture. Maile and his two sons slept on the floor surrounded by loose items of clothing and bedding," the charges say.
Maile told police that he was asleep with a handgun next to him when he woke up to the sound of the gunshot, according to police. He said he always slept with his gun under his pillow with the gun "fully loaded and off safety within arm's reach," charges state.
He also told police that he had thrown two other guns into a dumpster, police said.
That same night, a neighbor called 911 when she heard a "thump" sound, charges say.
The neighbor "told the operator that she looked out her bedroom window and saw Maile running towards the dumpster with his older son in one hand and holding a blue bucket in the other," the charges said.
That neighbor then saw Maile "throw the bucket in the community dumpster," and noticed blood on Maile's shirt, police said.
Officers searched the dumpster and found an empty gun case and the two other handguns, as well as a bucket and backpack. In the bucket, they found a magazine from a handgun and two glass jars with more than 10 ounces of marijuana, charges indicate, as well as other drug paraphernalia.
Tasman's initial appearance is scheduled for Monday.
