A 10-year-old boy in Missouri has been charged with murder after a seven-month-old baby was shot in the head in a case that has shocked the US state and is believed to be the youngest murder prosecution in its history.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
The child, who cannot be named due to his age, was taken into custody on Friday after police responded to reports of a shooting at a home in St Louis. Officers arrived to find baby Kiyomi Parker suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
Police said officers attempted life-saving measures before rushing the infant to hospital, but she later died from her injuries. The St Louis metropolitan police department confirmed the death in a statement.
According to court documents obtained by First Alert 4, witnesses said the boy had picked up a firearm that was hidden under a mattress inside a bedroom and fired the shot that struck the baby. A 7-year-old child was also present inside the home at the time of the shooting.
The accused boy told police he knew where the gun was kept and that it was easily accessible to him. He also admitted he had previously taken it out and handled it before.
The baby’s father, 19-year-old Ca’Marion Pawnell, later told police he had placed the gun where the child found it, according to court documents.
“The accused shooter told police he knew where the gun was kept, that it was easily accessible to him, and that he had previously taken it out and touched it before, according to FirstAlert 4.”
Pawnell’s relationship to the 10-year-old boy has not been made clear.
The boy has been charged in juvenile court with first-degree murder.
Pawnell has separately been charged with second-degree murder, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child creating substantial risk. He is being held without bond.
