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Virginia Mom Demands Accountability After 5-Year-Old Son Fatally Shoots Himself With Gun At Friend’s Apartment: “You Saw My Son With Me… Why You Didn’t Put Your Gun Up?” A Virginia mother is demanding accountability after her 5-year-old son, Qatif Richardson, fatally shot himself with a gun police say belonged to Steven Renard Blakeney Jr. The shooting happened October 24 at the Cool Lane Commons apartments in Henrico County. Qatif’s mother, Monique Richardson, had brought him with her to a friend’s apartment for a beauty appointment. Blakeney, who prosecutors say was the boyfriend of the woman who lived there, let the mother and child inside. Richardson says she had barely settled in before everything changed. She was preparing to pay her friend and had just asked whether she accepted Apple Pay when she suddenly heard a loud “boom.” She turned around and found Qatif on the floor with a gunshot wound. Prosecutors said the boy had been inside the apartment for only about four minutes before he found Blakeney’s loaded handgun and accidentally fired it. Qatif died at the scene. Richardson says what she cannot understand is why the firearm was accessible when Blakeney had personally seen her walk into the apartment with a small child. “You saw my son with me,” she said. “Why the f*ck you didn’t grab the gun? Like, put your gun up. Why you leave your gun in the open on a couch? Like, why? Why you was careless and reckless with your gun?” According to prosecutors, Blakeney’s girlfriend had previously told him to put his gun away because it was “not a toy.” Police arrested Blakeney, 26, and charged him with two offenses: improper storage of firearms and allowing access to firearms by children. Both charges are misdemeanors. Court records described Blakeney as someone who regularly carried a gun without a holster and who would sometimes place it on a dresser or counter when he was not carrying it. Investigators also said there were firearm locks or storage boxes available inside the apartment. Blakeney was initially held without bond, and a judge later denied his first request to be released. A Circuit Court judge subsequently granted him a $10,000 bond, with conditions including electronic home monitoring, no possession of firearms and no contact with anyone under the age of 18. His next scheduled court appearance is January 4, 2027. Richardson said it is especially painful knowing Blakeney may be home with his family during the holidays while her son will not be. The case has triggered strong reaction locally and online. Much of the discussion has centered on how quickly the shooting happened and why a loaded gun was allegedly within reach of a 5-year-old. Some people have also questioned why Blakeney is facing misdemeanor charges rather than a more serious offense. CBS 6 legal analyst Todd Stone explained that the charges currently filed are firearm-storage misdemeanors and said bond is meant to make sure a defendant returns to court, not to punish someone before trial. Local reaction has also included calls for stricter gun-storage practices when children are present. Richardson says Qatif was nonverbal and depended heavily on her to understand and communicate with him. She described herself as his “Mama Bear” and said losing him has been difficult to comprehend while she continues caring for her three other children. Now she says she hopes her son’s story makes gun owners think twice about leaving weapons unsecured around children. “I want my son back. I can’t get my son back,” she said. “I miss my son every day.”