News

Zirconia man facing gun and child abuse charges in son’s death

: Justin David Sherrill

By Amy McCraw, Published: October 28, 2025

A Zirconia man is facing felony gun and child abuse charges in the self-inflicted shooting death of his 14-year-old son, court records show.

Henderson County Sheriff’s Office investigators last week charged 34-year-old Justin David Sherrill, of Cabin Creek Road, with the felony charges of possession of a firearm by a felon and negligent child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury.
Warrants for Sherrill’s arrest issued on Oct. 23 charge him with allowing his son to handle a gun while drinking alcohol. They identify the boy by the initials D.S.
Sherrill “knowingly permitted his14-year-old son, D.S., to handle a loaded firearm without supervision. The suspect was aware that D.S. had been drinking alcohol. As a result, D.S. sustained a fatal, self-inflicted
gunshot wound,” according to the warrants for Sherrill’s arrest.
Warrants also charge Sherrill, who is a convicted felon, with illegally possessing a .32-caliber revolver.
Court records show that Sherrill was charged with misdemeanor child abuse on Aug. 20. That case was dismissed just days before the fatal shooting, according to court records.
The misdemeanor child abuse case involved a 14-year-old identified as D.S. and a 6-year-old identified as C.S. who were Sherrill’s children, according to a warrant for Sherrill’s arrest.
The warrant accuses Sherrill of causing substantial risk to the children by allowing “multiple cats, dogs and ferrets to run free in the home leaving animal feces and animal urine throughout the home and in the children's bedroom creating an overwhelming odor of ammonia which poses a risk to humans when inhaled,” according to the warrant. The home also had large amounts of trash piled throughout and exposed electrical wiring, according to the warrant.
Court records show the misdemeanor child abuse charge was voluntarily dismissed on Oct. 6.
Sherrill remained in Henderson County’s jail under a $500,000 secured bond on the felony charges on Tuesday.
Sheriff’s deputies along with members of Green River Fire & Rescue and the county Emergency Medical Service were dispatched to the shooting involving Sherrill’s son in the Zirconia community during the early morning hours of Oct. 8, according to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office.
The emergency responders provided medical care at the scene and transported the boy to Mission Hospital where he died the next day, the press release said. The violent crimes unit of the sheriff’s office also responded to the scene of the shooting and eventually sought warrants charging Sherrill after investigative efforts and interviews.