Police say man carried in gun that killed boy

A North Little Rock man has been arrested on manslaughter and other charges on accusations that he left an unsecured, loaded handgun within reach of a 4-year-old boy who died in an accidental shooting Friday, police documents said.

Reco Ontreal Reed, 27, was arrested Friday afternoon on charges of manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a minor and tampering with physical evidence.

Tyler Burnett, who turned 4 on April 29, accidentally shot himself with the gun, the arrest report said.

Reed took the firearm to 2123 Labette Manor during a visit to his friend, Tyler’s mother, according to department spokesman officer Eric Barnes and the arrest report.

After Tyler shot himself in the face, Reed grabbed the gun and ran, the report said, leaving the bleeding child, the mother and two other children in the apartment.

Witnesses said Friday that Tyler’s mother began screaming, drawing several neighbors to her front door and prompting people to call 911. The child was taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, Barnes said.

An examination of the boy’s wound indicated that the gunshot was self-inflicted, Barnes said.

Investigators interviewed Tyler’s mother and other witnesses, Barnes said, and found their statements inconsistent. Officers realized that evidence had been removed from the scene, he said.

Reed was arrested at the Police Department’s 12th Street Station.

Two other children — a 5-year-old girl and a second child whose age was not listed — were also in the apartment at the time of the shooting, a police report said.

Reed has no criminal history, according to court documents.

Reed was in the Pulaski County jail as of Saturday evening in lieu of a $100,000 bond, according to the jail’s roster.