CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The tragic death of a 10-year-old girl Monday in Kanawha County points toward the importance of gun safety according to Kanawha County Prosecutor Mark Plants.
“Anytime there’s a firearm involved there needs to be direct adult supervision,” Plants said. “This is a tragedy.”
The girl was shot in the arm and chest with a 4-10 shotgun Sunday evening that her 9-year-old friend was carrying. She died Monday morning at Charleston Area Medical Center.
Plants said the boy was staying with his grandfather and the girl was visiting.
“There’s an ongoing criminal investigation to determine the level of supervision these children had. Just like any shooting, even if it’s an accidental death, there is a criminal investigation to determine whether there’s any criminal conduct at all and this case is no different.”
Plants said there are no good answers in this kind of tragedy.
“Unfortunately this is a lose-lose situation. You’ve already lost a child,” the prosecutor said.