This is not the best of time for a Missouri parents whose 6-year-old daughter died after she was accidentally shot in the head by her 12-year-old brother.
Reports say that the couple were attending a Christmas party when the incident occurred.
Fox 2 Now reported that Maliyah Palmer was shot in the head and died at a nearby hospital on Friday.
The two were reportedly being watched by a 16-year-old brother.
Florissant police responded to the shooting at 11 p.m.
The 12-year-old reportedly found the 9mm pistol inside a dresser in his parent’s bedroom and fired the gun. His sister was near him.
“All of the officers who responded to the scene are mothers and fathers, so you can only imagine how personal it is to see a child shot in the back of the head.
“We will have counselors here for a debriefing hopefully this week to make sure the mental state of our officers is OK,” Timothy Lowery, the police chief said, according to the paper.
Authorities called the shooting a tragic accident and, according to The Post-Dispatch, will investigate and turn in evidence to prosecutors.
Authorities said earlier that no charges would be filed. The paper pointed out that parents have been charged in similar cases in the past.
“You couldn’t have written a more tragic script, the whole thing is just so tragic and terrible, but we have to put our personal feelings aside and do the law enforcement side of this,” Lowery said, according to the paper.
-NAN