The Pierce County Sheriff's Office said Monday that it has arrested a man in connection with the fatal shooting last year of a 2-year-old child in Puyallup.
Brian Douglas Widland Jr. is facing a manslaughter charge in the death of the toddler, identified as Hudson Carlisle.
The Pierce County Sheriff's office said the boy died last year at Mary Bridge Hospital from his injuries after he was injured in a shooting on Dec. 20, 2021.
A spokesperson for the Pierce County Sheriff's Department said last year that emergency crews had responded to a home in Milwaukee Avenue E. and 58th Street Court E.
When they arrived, the officers found a child inside the home with a gunshot wound.
“Somebody has to be held accountable,” said neighbor Jolene Adams, who added she's still traumatized from the shooting. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything more cruel than to let a baby bleed.”
Detectives say the children were playing a game of “wolves" and the girl thought the rifle was a BB gun.
“These are the worse cases imaginable for any deputy to arrive on scene,” Pierce County sheriff deputy Carly Cappetto said.
The 36-year-old is a convicted felon who isn’t supposed to have guns. His criminal history shows he has several convictions, including assault with a deadly weapon.
Yet, his daughter told investigators he had “lots of guns” all over the house.
“There are gun laws in place to prevent this from happening," Cappetto said. "This should have never happened to begin with. Just be safe with your firearms, especially around children.”
After the shooting, deputies say adults at the home tried driving the child to Good Samaritan hospital, but the bridge on Milwaukee Avenue was out, so the adults stopped at a home and called for help.
Eventually, the boy was transported to Mary Bridge Hospital where he was declared dead.
Meanwhile, deputies said Wildland tried to hide his guns, then ran away.
“They didn’t know if that baby could be saved and they were more concerned about hiding guns, more concerned with coming up with a story to cover it than to get him help,” Adams said.
Thanks to tips, detectives finally tracked down Widland at a house in South Hill in Puyallup.
“Detectives worked tirelessly on this case,” Cappetto said.
“They used to say it takes a village to raise a child, I think we all need to be more of a village and start watching out for everybody instead of just themselves,” Adams said.
A few months before the tragic shooting, court records show Widland shot himself in the foot with a shotgun, but he told deputies someone tried to break into his home.
He is being held at the Pierce County Jail.