Dad of N.J. boy who was 4 when he killed neighbor, 6, gets prison

TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — The father of a New Jersey boy who was 4 years old when he fatally shot a 6-year-old neighbor has been sentenced to prison.

A judge in Toms River sentenced Anthony Senatore on Thursday to three years behind bars.

Senatore pleaded guilty last year to child endangerment for leaving his gun unlocked.

He was charged with keeping a loaded .22-caliber rifle unlocked in his bedroom, where his son found it in April 2013. The boy took it outside and shot Brandon Holt once in the head. The child died the next day.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported about 50 people attended the sentencing, including Brandon’s relatives. They filled nearly the first four rows.

Senatore apologized to the family and said he thinks about Brandon every day.

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Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer, https://www.inquirer.com