Father charged after child, 6, fatally shoots herself
ATLANTA — A father has been charged after his 6-year-old daughter accidentally shot herself Saturday with a gun she found in her home.
On Sunday, candles in the shape of a heart burned in memory of Ja'Mecca Smith outside her Atlanta home.
Atlanta police spokesman Sgt. Warren Pickard said Sunday that 25-year-old Demarqo Smith has been charged with reckless conduct and involuntary manslaughter. Warren says an investigation revealed that Ja'Mecca accidentally shot herself after finding a loaded handgun between sofa cushions.
Although the gun was not his, police say he's the one who hid it where his little girl eventually found it.
"The gun was located inside of the couch," said Atlanta Police Detective Lt.Charles Hampton. "And so we believe that the child may have just been playing around, felt it, pulled it out. That's when it went off."
Ja'Mecca's mother, Kate Milling, is trying to cope with her loss.
"Right now my life's in shambles," said Milling. "It hurts; it's not a good feeling. I lost my baby girl, and life's hard for me right now. My family is taking this hard."
Milling said she passed out when she got the news at work that her daughter had died. She called Ja'Mecca an old soul who didn't miss a thing.
"She was my baby girl. She was a sponge; she sucked up everything. One minute she's 6, one minute she's 16, and one minute she's 60. She's everybody. That's my sponge."
Saturday's incident occurred about a mile southeast of Turner Field.
Demarqo Smith, who couldn't be found after the shooting as he left the scene in shock, is being held at the Fulton County jail. He has a court appearance Monday.
Maj. Adam Lee told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that at least four other children and another adult were in the home at the time of the shooting. No one else was injured.
The newspaper also reported that Ja'Mecca's death is at least the fourth Georgia child to be killed in accidental shootings in last six weeks.
Family and friends are still shattered over the loss.
"This is the worst feeling I ever had," said her mother. "The worst feeling I ever had."
Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow Keith Whitney on Twitter: @keithwhitney