Are Michael Jackson's Children Safe? Questions Raised After Stun Gun Incident

March 3, 2010— -- Questions about Katherine Jackson's ability to raise her late son's three young children have surfaced after a child-protection investigation into the purchase of a stun gun by one of Michael Jackson's nephews.

The Jackson family was quick to quash rumors that the weapon purchased online by Jaafar Jackson, 13, son of Jermaine Jackson, was ever a threat to any of Michael Jackson's children.

But a source close to the family told ABC News that he had been told that some of the children in the house were chasing Jackson's 8-year-old son, Blanket, when they were caught with the stun gun

The courts always have the option of removing Michael Jackson's three children from Hayvenhurst, the Jackson family compound where the children have been living under the care of their 80-year-old grandmother since their father's death last summer.

"What is some 13-year-old doing in a home, ordering a gun -- a [stun gun] -- online," said Mike Kretzmer, an attorney who practices family law. "Where is the supervision?"

"Using a [stun gun] in the home certainly raises the question if their needs are being met," Kretzmer said.

Lisa Love, who produced the Jackson's reality television show and spent days in the family's compound, called the family victims of the media.

"It's unfortunate for Katherine," she said. "She's such a loving and endearing person, and now being put in a situation where people will be questioning her ability to raise children and she's definitely qualified to do that."

Officials from the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services were at the Jackson home Monday and Tuesday to investigate the purchase of the stun gun.

Jaafar allegedly bought at least one stun gun, and possibly two, off the Internet, and the children, who all live in the house, played with the weapon for three days before they were caught, sources close to the family said they were told.

Officials were surprised to learn that as many as 14 people regularly live in the home, and several others routinely stay there, sources said.

The sources' accounts were refuted in a statement released Tuesday by Katherine Jackson's attorney, Adam Streisand. According to the statement, Jaafar ordered only one stun gun online, opened the package alone in the bathroom and tested it on a piece of paper.

According to Streisand's account, Katherine Jackson and household security heard the stun gun and immediately confiscated it.

"Blanket Jackson never saw or heard the [stun gun]," concluded the attorney's statement. "Neither did Paris Jackson. Prince saw the [stun gun] in the possession of security. There is no second [stun gun]."

Earlier today, Katherine Jackson's attorney released a statement correcting that Jaafar Jackson ordered a stun gun and not a Taser. They misidentified the weapon as a Taser in yesterday's press release.

Jackson's Hayvenhurst Home to Many Children

In addition to Jackson's three children, who were put in Katherine's custody following the singer's June 2009 death, Hayvenhurst regularly houses several of Katherine's other grandchildren, the youngest progeny of Michael's brothers Jermaine and Randy.

Still, the investigation offered a rare glimpse inside the hermetic walls of Hayvenhurst.

Michael's children, sons Blanket, 8, and Prince, 13, and daughter Paris, 12, moved into the home, which 20 years ago was purchased but later vacated by their father when he moved to Neverland Ranch, and for the first time in their lives, regularly interact with many of the family members whom Michael Jackson tried to keep them from, a source said.

"In the last two weeks, Michael's kids have undergone a transformation. Remember, they really didn't hang around with their cousins before Michael died," a source said.

Jermaine Jackson's youngest children Jaafar, 13, and Jermajesty, 9, both live at the home, along with their mother, Alejandra Oaziaza.

In addition to having children with Jermaine, Oaziaza also gave birth to his brother Randy Jackson's children Genevieve, 20, and Randy Jr., 18, both of whom also live at the house.

The parentage of another child in the house, Dante, is unknown, but he "has been cared for by Mrs. Jackson for many years," a source said.

Omer Bhatti, a 25-year-old Norwegian rapper, also lives in the house. Bhatti grew up around Michael Jackson, and some tabloids have claimed he might also be the singer's son.

Though the mother of Randy and Jermaine Jackson's children live in the house, Michael's kids are primarily looked after by Grace Rwaramba, their longtime nanny.

Another woman, identified by sources only as Sister Rose, an elderly member of the Nation of Islam, also lives in the home and works as a babysitter.

The Jackson family became famous in the 1970s when Michael and his four brothers, Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Marlon, formed the Jackson 5, a hit Motown group managed by their father. Later Michael, as well as sisters Janet and LaToya, launched a solo career.

Michael Jackson died June 25, 2009, in a rental home in Los Angeles following an overdose of a powerful anesthetic. Despite murmurings that Debbie Rowe, mother of Jackson's two oldest children, might contest his will and seek custody of the children, she never did. The mother of Jackson's youngest son, Blanket, is not known.