ORANGEBURG COUNTY, SC (WIS) – Ob
Local residents I spoke to shared their reactions and thoughts on the heartbreaking news.
“It’s really shocking. I used to be a teacher and when I look at this, the kids aren’t in school. So it’s kind of like that. I don’t know, but it’s hard. I have a niece and a nephew who are 7 years old, so it’s like that,” Jessie Mott said.
“You have a child who has no life because of a serious mistake, and that is an ongoing problem around the world,” said Barry Hutson.
According to an incident report from Orangeburg County investigators, when officers arrived at the scene, they learned that the six-year-old girl had an apparent gunshot wound to the head.
Investigators found that the girl had been shot by her seven-year-old brother.
Orangeburg County Chief Deputy Chandra Gibbs spoke about the department’s efforts
“Our job was to provide assistance as quickly as possible and to work with our emergency services to secure the scene so they could provide immediate medical assistance and transport the woman to our local hospital,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs says the girl was taken to MUSC Orangeburg but later died. She urges families to have a conversation about gun safety at home.
“We’re focused on making sure we’re providing them with that care while also educating other families in our county to make sure they’re having those conversations at home. We’re also participating in those conversations and education and awareness on safe gun handling,” Gibbs said.
SLED has taken over the lead on this investigation. Many questions remain, including whether the parents will face charges, where the 7-year-old found the gun and where the adults were at the time of the shooting.
WIS referred these questions to SLED, but a spokesperson told me the case remains under investigation.
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