EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — A Marysville police officer has been charged with second-degree manslaughter after his 3-year-old son grabbed his loaded handgun and shot his older sister to death.
The shooting occurred inside the family’s van as it was parked in Stanwood on March 10. Officer Derek Carlile and his wife left the van with their four children inside, and prosecutors say Carlile left his personal gun, a .38-caliber revolver, in an open bin on the floor. It was loaded and the safety was off.
Detectives say the boy got out of his booster seat, grabbed the gun and fired, killing his 7-year-old sister, Jenna.
The Herald newspaper of Everett reported that Carlile’s attorneys issued a statement saying that he takes full responsibility for the girl’s death, but that his actions weren’t criminal.
