Father’s family grieves Las Vegas boy accidentally slain by mom

Three-year-old John Jaffey was a beautiful, loving child who cherished what most kids his age treasure: toys and cartoons like “PAW Patrol,” “Chase is on the Case” and “PJ Masks,” his paternal family said Monday.

“He was the most fun, energetic, funny kid,” said Jaffey’s paternal aunt, Katrina Corbridge, of Henderson. “He would do the biggest cheesy smile and squint his eyes. ‘JJ come on! Open up your eyes so we can take the picture! Keep your eyes open and give me a big smile!’”

The Metropolitan Police Department said Jaffey was accidentally shot to death Wednesday by his mother, Jasmin Vargas, 25, of Las Vegas, at an apartment complex in the 1300 block of Arlington Street. An arrest report for Vargas states that she told police she pulled the trigger on the firearm thinking there were no bullets in it. The weapon, however, was loaded, and the discharged bullet struck her son in the head, the report said.

She now faces two felony counts of child abuse resulting in substantial bodily harm with use of a deadly weapon.

Jaffey’s paternal family members expressed outrage and shock Monday over what they view as reckless behavior by Vargas. They said they are raising money for the child’s funeral and burial through a GoFundMe account at the same time they are grieving.

They are struggling to understand why anyone would point a gun in the direction of a child, even if they thought it was unloaded?

“My heart tells me, ‘How could you be so stupid?’” Jaffey’s grandmother, Katie Mickolafsky, said of her son’s ex-girlfriend and the boy’s mother. “You are supposed to be his protector. How did she not protect him?”

An involved father

Mickolafsky said her son, Michael Jaffey of Las Vegas, was an important part of his son’s life. She said he was not present at the time of the shooting and remains too overwhelmed with grief to speak about the loss of his son.

“Monday or Tuesday night he was on a video chat with JJ while JJ was building gingerbread houses,” Mickolafsky said. “He had just discussed with her, because — I can’t even say her name without wanting to throw up — … they had just discussed the Christmas holiday. They were going to split Christmas and what days they were going to have him.”

The family said it wasn’t until recently, when they saw photos of Vargas and a man holding guns in a post on her personal Facebook page, that they learned of her interest in firearms. One of the photos on Vargas’ Facebook page is titled “My partner in crime.” Another photo shows her holding a gun and pointing it at the camera with a man at her side.

Vargas describes herself on her Facebook page as a warehouse worker who went to Green Valley High School and has two kids. Her arrest report also states that she had recently purchased a gun because she is small in stature and feared for her safety.

On the day of the shooting, Vargas and her son went to a friend’s apartment because the friend was “applying Jasmin’s makeup for a photo shoot,” the police report said.

Vargas, her son, her female friend, a male acquaintance and another child then took a stroll through the apartment complex.

“Jasmin noticed some of the lighting was out and the walkway was dark,” police said in her arrest report. “(Her friend) told Jasmin about recent auto burglaries in the complex. Jasmin stated she became afraid and went to her vehicle to retrieve her firearm for protection.”

Vargas put the Taurus 9 mm in the front pouch of her hooded sweatshirt, police said. She then rejoined her friends and briefly showed the gun to them. At one point she handed the gun to a male friend, at which time a witness told him to not pull the trigger. Vargas then took the gun, disarmed the safety, pointed it in front of her and said “There’s nothing in there.”

“Jasmin then pulled the trigger and fired one round, striking John in the head,” police said, adding Vargas told them she had previously discharged the weapon in the desert and “did not understand why there was a bullet in the chamber.”

The wounded child and his mother were driven to a local hospital by another witness, where John Jaffey was pronounced deceased.

A devastating loss

Corbridge, the boy’s aunt, said she hopes the tragedy reminds people that ownership of a firearm is a responsibility, one that requires the owner to learn about safety in a professional setting.

“Take a class,” Corbridge said. “There are plenty of classes in the Las Vegas area. Just get some kind of safety, explanation, teaching.

“You need to learn that you only hold a gun and aim it if you are shooting to destroy,” Corbridge said. “You always treat a gun as if it’s loaded regardless of if it is or is not. Always treat it as it is loaded. And, you never aim it at anything you don’t plan to destroy.”

The GoFundMe page set up to pay for John Jaffey’s funeral and burial described him as a wonderful child “taken too early.”

“Our family suffered a loss we couldn’t imagine,” the page states. “Our little man John at only 3 and a half years old was taken from us, far too early!! John was the most energetic, fun, and the smartest little boy who had touched so many of our hearts. While the family is still taking time to grieve in the mix of this being public affair we are asking the community to come together. If there is anyway you can help, with this being so unexpected. Funds will be going towards the resting of our John. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you all for the thoughts and prayers for our family.”

Vargas is scheduled to make an appearance in Las Vegas Justice Court on Tuesday.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.