Indianapolis mother Keiara Bickett jailed after toddler fatally shoots himself with purse gun — and will give birth behind bars

A 29-year-old Indiana mother has been sentenced to prison after her unbuckled toddler fatally shot himself with a loaded handgun left in her purse, according to court documents.

Keiara Bickett, 29, was identified in court documents as the child’s mother.

On June 19, 2025, around 3 p.m., police officers responded to an Indianapolis parking lot near East 46th Street and Keystone Avenue, according to police.

A 2-year-old boy suffered a gunshot wound to the head inside a vehicle, police said. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died, according to the report.

The victim was identified by authorities as 2-year-old Javarius Bickett.

The child was riding inside a vehicle with his mother and his older sister, court documents state.

The mother told investigators that Javarius had been placed in his car seat when they left, court documents state. He was not strapped in, according to the records.

The family stopped at a gas station before traveling to a pharmacy to pick up a prescription, according to court documents.

When Bickett discovered that the pharmacy drive-thru was closed, she stopped the car before going inside, according to court records.

By that time, the 2-year-old boy had gotten out of his car seat and moved into the front area of the vehicle, court documents state.

Bickett later told police she did not know when her son got out.

Her daughter, who was 8 years old at the time, told investigators that she and her mother had been using their hands to hold Javarius while the vehicle was moving.

The toddler eventually climbed directly into his sister’s lap, according to court documents.

At the same time, Bickett’s purse was sitting on the seat beside her daughter, police said.

Inside the purse was Bickett’s loaded 9-millimeter Glock handgun, according to court records.

Bickett told police she normally kept the purse zipped when carrying the gun, court records state. She admitted she did not believe it was zipped that day, police said.

The mother told investigators that the purse was on the front passenger seat between the center console and her daughter.

Bickett was looking at her phone while attempting to park when she suddenly heard a gunshot, according to court documents.

She ducked, looked toward the passenger side, and saw Javarius falling to the floorboard, court records state.

Bickett stopped the vehicle, opened the passenger door, picked up her son, and called 911, police said.

The victim’s sister told investigators she had been playing a game on her phone when she heard a loud noise and saw her brother fall.

The mother told police she never saw Javarius holding the gun, according to court documents. Investigators determined he had apparently gained access to the firearm before it discharged, according to the records.

Detectives recovered Bickett’s Glock from the front driver’s-side floorboard, police said. The handgun had a fired cartridge in the chamber and a loaded magazine, according to the report.

Investigators also found evidence of a bullet strike inside the vehicle and recovered the fired bullet from the rear passenger area, court documents state.

On August 21, 2025, Bickett was arrested and initially charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, according to court records.

Her surviving daughter, who witnessed the shooting, was later placed with her grandmother, court documents state. Bickett’s contact with the child was restricted, according to the records.

The defendant ultimately reached a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to reckless homicide and neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury, court records show.

As part of the agreement, prosecutors dismissed the more serious neglect of a dependent resulting in death charge, court documents state.

The plea deal also required the firearm and ammunition collected during the investigation to be destroyed, according to court records.

On September 15, 2026, Bickett was sentenced to three years in prison followed by three years of home detention, according to court records.

Prosecutors had asked the judge to impose the maximum possible sentence of 12 years, including 10 years in prison followed by two years of probation, court records show. Bickett’s defense asked that she receive no prison time, according to the records.

The judge instead ordered the prison and home-detention sentences to run consecutively, according to court records.

Bickett is currently pregnant and due to give birth in November 2026, meaning she is expected to deliver her child while incarcerated, court documents state.