Tehje Vaughan Fined $15,000 For Manslaughter by Negligence

Twenty-five-year-old Tehje Vaughan was fined fifteen thousand dollars after pleading guilty to manslaughter by negligence in the shooting death of her friend and co-worker, thirty-year-old Charles Cantun. The incident occurred on April 28, 2023, outside Alaska Store on 2nd Street, where Cantun was handling his Springfield nine-millimeter pistol. Vaughan, seated behind Cantun, negligently took hold of the firearm, which discharged and fatally wounded Cantun. Vaughan, admitting to her lack of firearm experience, acknowledged her negligence in handling the weapon during her caution statement. At the start of the trial, Vaughan promptly entered a guilty plea. Her attorney, Leeroy Banner, expressed remorse for the tragic outcome, noting the close relationship between Vaughan and Cantun as colleagues at Holy Redeemer Credit Union. Justice Derick Sylvester, in a non-custodial sentence agreement accepted by both the prosecution and defense, referenced a comparable case involving Jasmine Hartin. Vaughan was fined fifteen thousand dollars, with five thousand dollars, payable to Cantun’s common-law wife by Thursday, and the remaining ten thousand dollars by September 2024. She was bound over to keep the peace for two years, with a default imprisonment term of twelve months, and prohibited from holding a firearm license for five years.