Two people are in custody after a 7-year-old girl was killed in an accidental shooting inside a home in Philadelphia’s Juniata Park neighborhood, police said.
UPDATE: Police identified the victim as well as the suspect charged in her death. New details here.
Editor's Note: Philadelphia police initially said the child was 5 years old. They later revealed the child was 7 years old.
Two people are in custody after a young girl was killed in an accidental shooting inside a Philadelphia home Sunday afternoon, police said.
Police were called to a home on the 3800 block of I Street around 2:30 p.m. for the report of a shooting. When they arrived, they found a 7-year-old girl who had been shot in the face. The girl was taken to St. Christopher’s Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 2:39 p.m.
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Police have not yet released the girl’s identity.
Investigators said it appears that there were two adults on the first floor of the home and three small children – including the victim – on the second floor of the home at the time of the shooting.
Philadelphia Police Inspector D.F. Pace told NBC10 the shooting appears to have been accidental and that the 7-year-old girl either picked up the gun and accidentally shot herself or a 2-year-old child inside the home accidentally shot her.
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Pace said both the owner of the gun and the homeowner are in custody and charges are pending further investigation.
Pace also said it’s unclear at this time if the victim lived at the home and if the two people in custody are related to her.
“There’s still a lot more information that we need to gather to determine what criminal charges may be filed against either of those individuals,” Pace told NBC10. “There’ll be a lot of discussions with the district attorney’s office to determine what is appropriate in this instance.”
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
Pace also had a message for gun owners.
“Responsible gun ownership dictates that firearms should be secure and out of the reach of any small children,” he said.
If you have any information on the incident, please call Philadelphia police.
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