Virginia police officer pleads no contest to a charge related to son’s accidental death

A former police officer in Virginia has pleaded no contest to a charge related to his toddler son accidently shooting himself with his father’s service weapon. The 2-year-old died after the October shooting.

The Daily Press reported Monday that former Newport News police officer Stefhone C. McCombs Sr. made the plea on June 30.

McCombs pleaded no contest to recklessly allowing a loaded and unsecured firearm to endanger the life of a child 13 or younger. The charge is a misdemeanor.

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McCombs’ no contest plea means he did not admit guilt, but did not challenge the case against him. The former officer was given a 12-month suspended jail term.

A stipulation of facts in the case stated that McCombs had put his handgun on a couch in an off-duty holster without a safety clip. He was in the kitchen for about 30 seconds when he heard a shot.

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McCombs had been on the job for just over a year when the accidental shooting occurred. A police department spokeswoman told the Daily Press that he was no longer employed by Newport News police as of June 13.