Pinellas dad charged after son, 6, shoots brother, 3

A 6-year-old boy's accidental shooting of his 3-year-old brother in February led to their father's arrest Tuesday, Clearwater police said.

Rockny G. Carpio, 35, was charged with culpable negligence in Tarpon Springs, where he now lives.

On Feb. 20, at 1781 N. Fort Harrison Ave., 6-year-old Goivanni Carpio found an unsecured semi-automatic firearm in his father's bedroom, underneath a pillow, according to court documents.

The boy racked a round into the chamber by pulling back the slide and accidently discharged the firearm, said Elizabeth Watts, Clearwater's public safety spokeswoman. The round struck his 3-year old brother, Gabriel Carpio, in the chest, according to documents.

The bullet went into the middle of the boy's chest and exited, the documents say. It pierced his lung, but he survived, the documents say.

Goivanni Carpio could not explain how he knew to pull the slide back before firing, the documents say. He knew how to pull the trigger because he had seen his father, whom he called "Poppy," do it, the documents say.

Rockny Carpio later said the boys watched him when he cleaned his guns and pulled the triggers to release the slides as part of the cleaning process.

"He tells the children not to touch his toys, referring to his guns, and that he doesn't touch their toys," the documents say.

Rockny also told investigators he had a gun safe and a leather case with a lock, but he put the .32-caliber semi-automatic Llama under his girlfriend's pillow "for protection because it is a bad neighborhood and the back door lock is not working," the court documents say. The gun did not have a safety.

In addition to leaving the Llama under the pillow, Rockny Carpio has left a .45-caliber Kimber handgun on a shelf by the living room television, the court documents say.

In a safe by the bed there were also a Desert Eagle pistol, a Smith & Wesson handgun, several live rounds and a Citadel .45-caliber handgun with several magazines, the court documents say.

Also, in a black case in one corner of the bedroom were a Jimenez Arms .380- caliber automatic handgun, several magazines and a Glock .357 handgun with additional rounds, the documents say.

In another corner of the bedroom was another bag containing an Intertec 99 mm Luger, the documents say. And in a case on the living room floor was a Kel-Tec 9 mm Luger with several rounds and magazines, the documents say.

On Feb. 13, about a week before the shooting, Rockny Carpio had purchased a firearm from a gun store in Clearwater, the documents say. On the sales receipt which he signed, it indicated he had read a limits-of-liability clause which said in bold letters, "It is unlawful and punishable by prison and fine for any adult to store or have a firearm in any place within easy access of a minor."

Investigators said Carpio was charged with culpable negligence because he left a firearm in a location where a child could easily find it.