Father to be charged in 5-year-old son's accidental shooting

David Nesbitt’s young son died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

HAMILTON — The father of a 5-year-old who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound will be charged with negligent homicide, a first degree misdemeanor, according to Hamilton police.

David Nesbitt, 35, of the 900 block of Gordon Smith Boulevard, had not turned himself in as of Friday, July 31, as a warrant was issued for his arrest, said Hamilton police Sgt. Michael Waldeck.

Nesbitt’s son, Zachariah, died July 18, at The Fort Hamilton Hospital after he accidentally shot himself at home with a 9 mm Glock handgun.

Investigators interviewed the parents, David and Elizabeth, earlier this week after their son was buried at Greenwood Cemetery on Friday, July 24.

According to the 911 recording, David Nesbitt told the dispatcher that his son found the gun in a closet.

Police confirmed that Nesbitt had a concealed carry permit for the gun and that it had been left unsecured in a closet.

Waldeck said children are curious and they are often injured or killed because of guns that aren’t secured properly.

“(A responsible gun owner) doesn’t keep a loaded gun around where someone can get hold of it,” Waldeck said.

Nesbitt’s case, a misdemeanor, will be tried in Hamilton Municipal Court by the city’s prosecutors, according to Melissa Spurlock of the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office. He faces a maximum of six months in jail and $1,000 fine.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2122 or rwilson@coxohio.com.

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