Jacksonville police officials reported that a girl was killed in an accidental shooting.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – Jacksonville police officials reported that a five-year-old girl was killed and a 4-year-old boy was wounded in an accidental shooting which took place on Saturday, at an apartment located at 702 North Lincoln Court.
Another child was in the apartment at the time the shooting took place. A suspect connected with the case has been taken into custody.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, on Saturday, at approximately 1 pm, an accidental shooting took place in an apartment situated at Roosevelt Gardens. Three children were involved in the incident which resulted in the death of a 5-year-old girl. Another child was injured during the accidental shooting, but his wound was not life-threatening.
The events leading to the death of the 5-year-old girl began when Maurice Antonio Delay, a 34-year-old convicted sex offender, left a firearm in the apartment. According to the investigators, Delay has been dating the children’s mother for some time.
At the time the shooting occurred, the mother left the apartment for an unspecified amount of time in order to do some shopping. The authorities declared that another child was in the apartment when the incident took place, a 4-year-old boy.
As the 8-year-old boy was playing with the handgun, the weapon accidently went off, critically injuring his sister and the other boy who was behind her. When the boy saw that his sister was unresponsive, he went rushing to one of his neighbors and told him what happened.
Unfortunately, the paramedics who later arrived at the scene declared the girl dead and took the 4-year-old boy to the local hospital where he received medical treatment for minor injuries.
After questioning the 8-year-old boy about the incident, the authorities arrested 34-year-old Maurice Antonio Delay, the owner of the handgun. Delay was the boyfriend of the children’s mother and, according to the authorities, a convicted sex offender.
The man was taken into custody and charged with firearm possession by a convicted felon. A bail of $100,000 was posted in his name, and the man is scheduled to appear before court on Monday.
At this point, it’s unclear why the man left the firearm in the apartment or if the children’s mother had any notion about her boyfriend leaving a handgun unattended. Furthermore, the authorities have refused to disclose any information about the type of handgun used in the accidental shooting or the children’s identities.
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