A Detroit mother is facing criminal charges after her 6-year-old daughter was fatally shot while sitting in a vehicle with her siblings.
Authorities say the tragic incident happened on March 2 after the children were left alone in a van while their mother went inside a restaurant.
Police responded around 12:06 p.m. to reports of a shooting in a parking lot along Harper Avenue. When officers arrived, they found the young girl suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. She was rushed to a nearby hospital but later died from her injuries.
According to investigators, 41-year-old Tonya Charisse-Annice Johnson had left her five children — ranging in age from 2 to 11 — unattended in the van while she went inside the Farmer John Food Center to get food.
While the children were alone, police say Johnson’s 11-year-old son discovered an unsecured handgun inside the vehicle. The gun allegedly went off, striking his 6-year-old sister in the head.
The identities of the children have not been publicly released.
Detroit police later announced that Johnson has been charged with a firearms safe storage violation, three counts of second-degree child abuse and four counts of felony firearm.
Investigators also reportedly found additional unsecured weapons inside Johnson’s home.
Officials say the heartbreaking death could have been prevented.
“This was preventable,” First Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald said following the shooting. “We have safe storage laws for a reason. Secure your weapons.”
He added that the loss of the young girl has devastated everyone involved.
“A 6-year-old girl that will no longer go to school. She won’t grow up and live out her dreams. It’s incredibly sad, and it didn’t have to happen.”
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy also called the case one of the most disturbing examples of unsafe gun storage she has seen.
“The alleged facts of this case are among the worst child safe storage cases we have encountered,” Worthy said. “This tragedy will affect these children for the rest of their lives.”
The investigation remains ongoing.