NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Local 10 News spoke with a police officer Thursday whose 4-year-old son Junior accidentally shot himself with his father’s handgun in North Miami Beach last month.
The child’s father, who authorities identified as Peter Rodler Tidot, 29, is a police officer in the city of Columbia, South Carolina.
“This is one person I love the most on earth. I love him more than myself,” said an emotional Tidot. “This is something I have to live with. Even after 50 years, it’s going to hurt.”
Junior remains hospitalized after police say he got his hands on his official “duty weapon,” and accidentally shot himself in the right side of his head.
The Columbia Police Department placed Tidot on an investigatory suspension after being arrested by the North Miami Beach Police Department in early April.
An arrest report states police found the child in a bedroom with a gunshot wound to his head, and a gun was found on the floor nearby.
According to Tidot’s statement, he and the victim arrived at his parent’s residence earlier that day, where he brought a black Sig Sauer .45 caliber handgun and placed it in his waistband with a round in the chamber.
The rest of his confession was redacted in the report, however, Tidot admitted to contacting the police and waiting for officers to arrive outside the residence, police confirmed.
After further investigation, police said Tidot left the loaded gun unsecured and within reach of his son, who grabbed it and accidentally shot himself on the right side of the head.
Detectives called Tidot’s actions “culpable negligence,” after they said he failed to protect his son which resulted in great bodily harm.
Tidot told Local 10 News that he wishes he could go back in time and has not stopped thinking about his son.
“Bad things happen to good people,” he said. “This is a tragic moment. I’m thinking about him. I didn’t even want to talk about it.”
Jail records show Tidot is facing one count each of child neglect with great bodily harm and culpable negligence pertaining to leaving a firearm within easy access of a minor.
Officials told Local 10 News affiliate ABC Columbia that Tidot has served with the CPD since April of 2023.
Tidot believes “it’s a miracle that his son is alive and it well protected.”
He has started a GoFundMe where all of the proceeds will go to his son’s medical bills and other expenses. Click here if you would like to contribute.