A Chicago man wearing an ankle monitor for a pending sexual assault case received a 10-year sentence after his 13-year-old nephew accidentally shot himself to death while handling a gun in their home, according to court records.
After the March 24, 2025 shooting, Kemonte Rice, who was still wearing the ankle monitor, left his residence before an ambulance arrived, went to his mother’s house, and concealed the pistol beneath a mattress, according to prosecutors.
Kemonte Rice, 26, was on electronic monitoring since Judge Ankur Srivastava refused to jail him in October 2024 after prosecutors accused him of forcing a lady to have sex at gunpoint.
According to authorities, Rice and the woman were having consensual contact when she requested him to stop because she needed to go to a birthday party. Instead, prosecutors claimed Rice pressured her to continue. Prosecutors told Srivastava that while positioned on top of Rice with her back turned, the lady texted her sister to inform authorities, alleging a guy was sexually abusing her at gunpoint. When Chicago police arrived, they arrested Rice.
Nearly six months later, on March 24, 2025, around 5 p.m., 13-year-old Tawon Tribble Jr. visited Rice’s home in the 500 block of West 65th Street to spend time with his uncle, as the two did frequently. They spent somewhat more than an hour together in Rice’s bedroom while the other grownups were elsewhere in the house. The adults reported hearing a huge explosion at 6 p.m. Won walked out of the bedroom, screaming that the gun had gone off, and slumped on the kitchen floor, according to prosecutors’ detention filing. According to the petition, Rice followed Tawon, made a phone call, and then exited the residence. He returned shortly later, walked into his bedroom, and then departed again. He returned a third time, informing the others that an ambulance was on the way.
Tawon died of a single gunshot wound to the chest. Investigators believe the gun was discharged at close range, and no gunpowder was found on Rice’s hands or in the clothing he was wearing that day, according to prosecutors.
Rice was arrested after investigators discovered him at his mother’s house. Someone discovered the gun under a mattress, and CPD recovered it. Rice provided conflicting stories of what occurred during police interviews. He originally named someone else as the shooter but then admitted that the gun was fired while Tawon was toying with it, according to authorities.
Rice was not immediately charged and was freed while detectives conducted more investigations. Days after his release, a witness recorded a phone call in which Rice allegedly admitted asking Tawon to “unload the firearm and clean the bullets,” according to the detention complaint.
According to the prosecution’s original claims, Rice said Tawon was posing with the pistol while chatting on the phone, and the handgun discharged when Rice attempted to take it away.
Rice allegedly informed authorities that when he pulled the gun off Tawon’s lap, it fired. According to authorities, he also admitted to hiding the weapon at his mother’s home.
Rice has now pled guilty to child endangerment resulting in death and criminal sexual abuse by force, according to court documents.
Judge John Lyke sentenced Rice to ten years in prison for child endangerment resulting in death and six years in prison for criminal sexual abuse by force. The sentences will be served concurrently. Rice is anticipated to be released after serving around five years of his sentence.
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