3-year-old was accidentally shot to death by his brother, 5, KC police say

Three-year-old Jermone L. Green, who died last week inside a townhouse in the 1800 block of Topping Avenue, was accidentally shot by his 5-year-old brother, Kansas City police confirmed Monday.

The shooting happened Thursday morning. Paramedics arrived and tried to revive Jermone but were unsuccessful.

Investigators are trying to determine how the 5-year-old got possession of the firearm. Several adults were inside the residence when the shooting occurred, police said. Neighbors said the family had moved into the townhouse about a month ago.

The case has been forwarded to the Jackson County prosecutor’s office, which will determine whether criminal charges will be filed.

On Saturday, relatives set up two GoFundMe pages to help with funeral expenses. In one, relatives said the shooting “was a tragic accident.”

Another fund was set up by Jermone’s grandfather, who lives in Texas. Clifford Martin noted that his 3-year-old grandson was accidentally killed by the boy’s 5-year-old brother.

“None of us were prepared for a tragedy like this,” Martin wrote. “With extremely heavy hearts, we must begin to make funeral arrangements for my grandson. We are sincerely asking for your help with burial expenses and future living expenses for my 5yr old grandson and His siblings. I ask that you pray and please give whatever the Lord places on your heart to give. I want to make daily life as easy as possible for them as they grieve and adjust to life without Jermone. If you can find it in your heart to help us with the funeral expenses and future living expenses, it would be a great blessing.”

On his Facebook page, Martin expressed outrage over the boy’s death.

“My poor grand baby didn’t even get a chance at life!” he wrote. “I’m so mad right now I just don’t know what to do! Get rid of them damn guns! This makes no sense at all.”

He promised that God would take vengeance on the person who left the gun in the home.

“God got you boy!” he wrote. “He will punish you for being the reason behind this tragedy! Trust me! He’s gonna put some hurt on you that you won’t even understand!

“I’m hurting so bad right now I just can’t think straight!” the grandfather wrote. “Thank you for your continued prayers! This is too much to handle!”

This story was originally published October 31, 2016 at 10:41 AM with the headline "3-year-old was accidentally shot to death by his brother, 5, KC police say."