Father gets 90 days, probation after 2-year-old son is accidentally shot by 4-year-old
A 34-year-old man has been sentenced to spend 90 days in Martin County Jail after his 4-year-old son grabbed his gun and shot his 2-year-old son.
In addition to his jail time, 34-year-old Colton Dean Mammenga was sentenced on Friday to 18 months in prison, which will be stayed for the duration of his five-year probation. He may also serve his 90 days in jail as work release if eligible.
According to court documents, Mammenga pleaded guilty to endangerment of a child by firearm access in July. In exchange for his guilty plea, two counts of second-degree manslaughter and one count of negligent firearm storage were dismissed.
Mammenga must also complete 500 hours of community service relating to speaking engagements about firearm safety, according to court documents.
As previously reported, Martin County deputies were called to a shooting in the back seat of a vehicle on Oct. 15, 2023. The 911 caller said the vehicle was headed toward Fairmont.
A deputy stopped the vehicle and Mammenga got out with a toddler in his arms and started CPR on the child. The 2-year-old was taken to the hospital, but died a few days later, according to court documents.
Mammenga reportedly told authorities he had put the kids in the truck before going back into the house, where the children’s mother also was, to get coffee. He said he’d left his gun in the pocket of the passenger-side door, which the children’s mother said is typical for when he is traveling.
The 4-year-old confirmed to law enforcement that he grabbed the gun and it had accidentally fired while they were driving.
Mammenga and the children’s mother said they didn’t see the 4-year-old with the gun before leaving, according to court documents. A deputy confiscated the gun, which was fully loaded and had a round in the chamber, and also saw a baggie full of 9mm rounds sitting next to the 4-year-old’s car seat, with loose rounds strewn about. A pistol holder was also next to the child’s seat.