Police at the scene after a 10-year-old boy allegedly shot an infant in St. Louis, Missouri (KSDK).
A 10-year-old boy in Missouri discovered a firearm hidden beneath a mattress and allegedly shot a 7-month-old baby in the head, authorities said, prompting murder charges against both the child and the infant’s father.
Ca’Marion Pawnell, 19, has been charged with second-degree murder, first-degree child endangerment resulting in death, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child by creating a substantial risk. The 10-year-old accused of firing the weapon is facing a first-degree murder charge in juvenile court.
Officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department were called shortly after 4 p.m. Friday to a residence in the 8400 block of N. Broadway following reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they found 7-month-old Kiyomi Parker with a gunshot wound.
Rather than wait for an ambulance, officers placed Kiyomi in a police vehicle and rushed her to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead by medical staff.
A probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by local NBC affiliate KSDK states that the boy knew Pawnell kept a gun under a bedroom mattress and had previously taken it out to play with it. Investigators allege that, during Friday’s incident, the boy retrieved the weapon and shot Kiyomi in the head. Police have not publicly clarified the relationship between the boy and the baby.
Pawnell told detectives that the gun belonged to him and that he kept it under the bed, according to the affidavit cited in the report.
Authorities also said a 7-year-old child was present inside the home when the shooting occurred.
Cops did not name the shooter since he was charged as a juvenile. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that under Missouri law, only juveniles over the age of 12 can stand trial as adults. He was taken into custody after the shooting.
Homicide and child abuse detectives are conducting a joint investigation.
Pawnell was arrested and taken to the St. Louis City Justice Center. His next court date is not yet listed.
