A 10-year-old Missouri boy has been charged with murder after allegedly fatally shooting a 7-month-old baby girl, while the infant’s 19-year-old father is also facing felony charges after police say he left the firearm accessible to children inside the home.
The shooting occurred shortly after 4 p.m. on June 26 at a residence in the 8400 block of North Broadway in St. Louis. According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, officers responded to reports of a shooting and found 7-month-old Kiyomi Parker suffering from a gunshot wound inside the home. Officers rushed the infant to a nearby hospital in a patrol SUV, but despite lifesaving efforts by officers and medical personnel, she died.
Homicide detectives and child abuse detectives launched a joint investigation, which police say determined that a 10-year-old boy was responsible for the shooting. The boy was taken into custody and has since been charged with first-degree murder in juvenile court. According to local reporting, he is believed to be the youngest person ever charged with murder in Missouri.
Police have not publicly identified the child because he is a juvenile. Authorities also arrested the infant’s father, 19-year-old Ca’Marion Pawnell, after investigators determined the gun used in the shooting belonged to him.
Pawnell has been charged with one count of second-degree felony murder, one count of endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child creating a substantial risk.
Ca’Marion Pawnell, 19. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
According to court documents, witnesses told investigators that the 10-year-old picked up the gun and fired it while a 7-month-old child was also inside the home.
Investigators said the 10-year-old told police he knew the gun was hidden underneath a mattress in a bedroom, had been aware of its location for an extended period of time, and had previously removed and handled the weapon.
Court documents state that Pawnell admitted the firearm belonged to him and acknowledged that he had stored it beneath the mattress where the child described finding it.
Police have not publicly explained the relationship between Pawnell and the 10-year-old. Pawnell is being held without bond.
Prosecutors allege Pawnell’s decision to leave a loaded gun accessible to children contributed to his daughter’s death.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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