Lehi mother of 8-year-old who shot himself charged with manslaughter

LEHI — The mother of an 8-year-old boy is facing criminal charges after her son accidentally shot and killed himself inside a minivan while she went inside a convenience store.

Jennifer Marie Pu'u, 44, of Lehi — who police say has a history of leaving guns lying around unsecured — was charged Thursday with manslaughter, a second-degree felony; and abuse or neglect of a child with a disability, a third-degree felony.

On Sept. 2, Pu'u drove her minivan with her son, who was disabled, to the Maverik convenience store, 3569 N. Thanksgiving Way, shortly before 7:40 p.m. She went into the store and left her son in the car.

"Also in the vehicle was (her) loaded and unsecured .380 M&P Shield pistol. Within about two minutes of (Pu'u) leaving the minivan, the child got ahold of the weapon, and it accidentally discharged. The bullet struck the child in the head and killed him," according to charging documents. "There was no holster nor any type of secure retention container for the handgun in the vehicle."

The boy's father, and Pu'u's ex-husband, told police that she "was known to leave guns 'laying around.' He said he had told her over and over not to leave guns lying around, and it was a contentious point in their marriage," the charges allege.

The boy "suffered aggression and separation anxiety, with no concept of danger," and functioned on the level of a 2-year-old, a therapist told police during the investigation, charging documents state.

The therapist further told investigators that he had watched the boy play with toy guns with his siblings and had "no concept of the danger a real gun presented. The therapist had been in Pu'u's home teaching daily living skills to (the boy) and on two occasions saw unsecured handguns within easy reach of children," the charges say.

The boy's name has not been released.

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