A Lewiston man convicted for the death of his four-year-old stepson was sentenced to eight years behind bars on Friday.

Robert McCoy pleaded guilty in the shooting death of four-year-old Jasper Smith last year.

Family members say they reached out to Maine DHHS 17 times before Smith’s death and requested that the children be removed from the home numerous times.

The child accidentally shot himself with a handgun in the family’s Lewiston home.

McCoy was sentenced to 17 years with all but eight suspended, along with six years probation.