INDEPENDENCE, MO (KCTV) -
The grief-stricken mother of a young boy spoke out Wednesday about the tragic day their little boy got a hold of his dad's gun and accidentally shot and killed himself.
Joshua Andrew Turner, who the family lovingly called JJ, was just 3 years old and full of life when his parents said he found their gun and pulled the trigger.
Dawn and Josh Turner said they would give him the world, but some in the community are painting a different picture of the young family so the couple reached out to KCTV5's Kelly Jones via social media because they said they want to set the record straight on their little boy who always had a smile on his face.
A picture of her two happy children is how Dawn and Josh Turner want the community to remember their 3-year-old before tragedy hit.
"They just got these pictures done a little while ago, he loved his brother so much," Dawn Turner said.
"I said, ‘Please hurry, please hurry, my son has been shot,'" Dawn Turner said as she thinks back to the weekend that started off like any other.
The family said they were having breakfast June 16, watching a movie when their lives forever changed.
"He (Dawn Turner's husband) took two steps away from the chair, I think I was getting up to put a plate in the sink and we heard a big boom," Dawn Turner said.
Dawn Turner said the gun that was used to shoot and kill her son was stuffed in a seat cushion.
"He fell in Josh's arms, there was blood everywhere, everywhere. I watched my baby's face go from this to color blue."
The mother addressed the issue of some neighbors thinking she and her husband had a hand in their little boy's death.
"We are a normal couple, we've had arguments, yes, they have gotten loud sometimes but we would never, ever, ever hurt our kids," Dawn Turner said.
The couple said the gun in their home at the time was relatively new.
"He (Dawn Turner's husband) traded an old gun for this one, so we could have money to pay for and buy me a new camera for my birthday," Dawn Turner said.
Josh Turner said guns should be handled with care and away from children and the mistake he made was thinking the holster for his old gun would fit the new one. He didn't have the gun on him at the time, but said the weapon wasn't in a holster because he didn't have one that fit it.
Now the couple is forced to deal with the grief over their loss as well as accusations.
"I'm not a killer, my husband did not do this, I lost my baby," Dawn Turner said.
The young boy's family said JJ was a daddy's boy who always had a smile on his face and a tender heart for his mom.
"I keep hearing his voice in my head. Even when I cry, I hear him. I see him put his hands on my face and say, ‘Mommy, it's OK,'" Dawn Turner said. "You never know what it feels like to have your baby die in your hands and you can't do anything about it."
Dawn and Josh Turner said right now they are trying to be strong for their other 2-year-old son and are finalizing details of JJ's funeral, which will be held later this week.
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