Kara Berg

kara.berg@indystar.com

An Indianapolis man has been sentenced in the accidental shooting death of his 3-year-old son, according to the Marion County prosecutor's office.

Nicholas Gulling was sentenced to six years in community corrections and 14 years on probation, according to a news release. He pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent, a Class A felony.

Gulling and the child's mother, Sandra Tomich, were charged after their son's death in December 2013. Gulling's loaded handgun was sitting on the family's kitchen counter, and the child took it and shot himself in the head, according to the release. The gun had no safety or lock on it, and eight other firearms were found in the home, also with no safety or lock.

Parents charged in boy’s shooting death

The child was taken to Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health in critical condition and died hours later.

Police initially classified the shooting as an accident. Gulling and Tomich, as well as the 4-year-old sister of the boy, were home at the time of the shooting.

With his guilty plea, Gulling took full responsibility for the events that led up to the child's death, and Tomich's case was dismissed.

Call IndyStar reporter Kara Berg at (317) 444-6179 . Follow her on Twitter: @karaberg95.