Moorhead man charged in connection with boy’s shooting death

A Moorhead man was arrested and charged with a firearms violation in connection with the March death of a 6-year-old boy who was unintentionally shot with a handgun.

Phillip Jones Jr., 33, is charged in federal court with felon in charge of a firearm. Authorities say he has several prior felony convictions in Hennepin County, including attempted drive-by shooting.

Court documents show that the victim was at an apartment with three other children and no adults when they discovered the loaded gun in a box on top of the kitchen cabinets. The gun went off while the children were playing with it, documents show.

Authorities say DNA collected from the gun matched the DNA profile of Jones. He had earlier obtained the handgun from a residence in neighboring Fargo, North Dakota and showed it to an acquaintance, investigators said.

Court documents do not list an attorney for Jones.