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CUMBERLAND, Ind. – Cumberland police continue to investigate what led to a young girl being shot and killed on accident by a sibling in Cumberland.
Cumberland Police Department officers were dispatched around 4:45 p.m. to the 600 block of Woodlark Drive on reports of a person shot.
Police believe the gun used in the shooting was unsecured and fully loaded before it was picked up and fired by the victim’s 5-year-old sibling.
The shooting took place inside an upstairs bedroom. Cumberland police believe a 5-year-old boy pulled a gun out of a dresser drawer and accidentally killed his 4-year-old little sister Deor Neita.
“At this point, I don’t believe anything was intentional. They found a gu, were playing with it and it went off,” said Cumberland Police Detective Mark Waggoner.
Detective Waggoner says the victim’s great-grandmother was watching 4 children at the home while the victim’s mother was at work. He described the death as both tragic and frustrating.
“There is absolutely zero excuse to have these firearms not locked up somewhere out of the reach of children,” said Waggoner.
The problem isn’t unique to Cumberland.
So far this year, IMPD has investigated three confirmed fatal accidental shootings involving juveniles. That’s compared to just one death at the same time last year.
In January, a 14-year-old was killed inside his home by a family member cleaning a gun.
In April, 6-year-old Billy Mack II was killed at an apartment complex on John Jay Drive.
Most recently in May, 5-year-old Hakiem Scott was accidentally killed on Kealing Avenue.
Non-fatal accidental shootings have also more than tripled this year compared to 2022.
That’s why this past weekend, IMPD and the sheriff’s office gave away hundreds of free gun locks.
Gun safety experts say once again cases like this are 100 percent preventable.
Firearms instructor Tim Tomich demonstrated how removing that type of lock takes just a few seconds.
Guns can also be stored in safes which also take just seconds to open.
“We’re not talking about a half hour. We’re talking about one or two seconds,” said Tim Tomich with Tim’s Shooting Academy.
Tomich insists there are three rules to gun safety that every parent should know and that can save lives.
“Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot and always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use. These are the rules,” said Tomich.
Police are still investigating who owned the gun used in the shooting in Cumberland.
Ultimately it will be up to the prosecutor’s office to decide if any criminal charges should be filed against the victim’s caretakers.
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