A Florida man fatally shot his 14-year-old sister in the face while “showing off” with a gun, according to statements made to police.
According to Miami-Dade Police, the 14-year-old victim was shot inside her home at the Mirage at Sailboat community in Opa-Locka, at around 3 a.m., Thursday.
The children’s mother said her son, later identified as 19-year-old Keon Thornhill, was visiting the home in the middle of the night, according to CBS4.
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“The defendant spontaneously stated that he was involved in a verbal dispute with the victim, and he went to his room on the second floor and retrieved a firearm,” police said. “The defendant then went downstairs with the firearm, stating that he had cleared it and handed it to the victim. The defendant further stated that the victim shot herself in the face.”
The girl was pronounced dead by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
Investigators said Thornhill admitted to shooting his sister, stating it was an accident.
According to police, “While the defendant was being detained, he stated several times to officers on the scene, ‘I shot her. It was a mistake. Take me in.'”
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“My son was playing with the gun, and it accidentally went off. If you have kids, there should be no guns in your home. My son really doesn’t live here; he was here and visiting and playing with the gun when this happened,” said the teens’ mother, who identified herself as Martine, to CBS 4.
The woman was at work when the shooting happened, and her daughter Brianna lost her life, according to the outlet.
“My daughter was a wonderful person, she was very respectful, she was a sweet girl, my baby girl, and now she is gone,” the children’s mother told CBS4’s Peter D’Oench, “She meant the world to us and we are heartbroken.”
Thornhill has been arrested and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He faces a charge of second-degree murder with a weapon.
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