COCOA, Fla. – A man who was arrested as a teen in the accidental shooting death of a 2-year-old in Cocoa in 2020 made a plea deal with prosecutors Friday.
Travis Lane, 18, walked into a Brevard County courtroom Friday facing decades of prison time in connection to the death of 2-year-old Brayden Howard, but now faces a maximum of 12 years.
When Lane was 16, Cocoa police said he was at the Sunrise Village Mobile Homes where his friend, the toddler’s mother, lived.
According to an arrest report, the 2-year-old’s mom said Lane was messing with a gun at her home when it went off.
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When Lane was interviewed, he told police the toddler’s mom told him it was OK to show off the gun in front of her son.
“He believed that the revolver was unloaded and pulled the trigger twice, each time making a ‘clicking’ sound,” the report reads. “Lane stated that when he pulled the trigger a third time, a shot was fired. Lane stated that he was shocked and dropped the gun on the floor.”
Judge Samuel Bookhardt will sentence Lane after attorneys make their arguments at an upcoming sentencing hearing.
Lane’s mother said her son shouldn’t be the only person held accountable.
“That mother should be sitting there as well,” Latrice Paige said. “And I understand that she is the parent of the deceased child and I’m asking for forgiveness for that, as well, but I don’t think that my son did it, at all,” Lane’s mother continued.
Lane’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 1.
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