A Texas father accidentally shot and killed his 11-year-old daughter with a rifle during a hunting trip, while he was clearing the gun’s hammer, thinking the firearm wasn’t loaded, according to the Harrison County Police Department.
“He had thought he had cleared the gun, but unfortunately, he hadn’t,”Harrison County Sheriff Brandon “B.J.,”Fletcher stated.
The girl, Daisy Grace Lynn George was taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center, Longview, Tx. There she died.
Fletcher stated that the tragedy occurred on Saturday at 5 p.m. during a Monday news conference. After an afternoon spent hunting on a deer lease close to Young and Hickey roads, the pair returned to their vehicle. He was trying to remove the hammer from his high-powered rifle when the father realized that the firearm was not loaded. The Longview News-Journal reported.
Calls to the sheriff’s office came in shortly after the shooting. The news outlet reported that Harrison County emergency personnel and deputies arrived to find the girl with life-threatening gunshot wounds.
An aircraft was requested to transport the girl to the hospital, but due to inclement weather she was transported by EMS and HCSO, Hallsville PD, and the Texas Department of Public Safety, a report said.
Fletcher states that “the gun went off.” He said the sheriff’s office has no reason to believe the gunshot was not accidental. However, the case will be reviewed by the Harrison County District Attorney’s Office, he said.
The sheriff’s office is also working with the Texas Parks and Wildlife, to conduct the investigation since the death occurred while hunting, a report said.
Fletcher said George’s father was an experienced hunter and this tragedy demonstrates how critical gun safety is. ““It’s very trying to not work this case without emotion. Anytime a young person loses their life it’s tragic,” Fletcher said.
He added: “I hope we never see another one like it,” he said.
George was a sixth-grader attending Hallsville Junior High. The school asked students to wear purple on Monday, her favorite color, according to the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office.
Fletcher helped coordinate grief counselors for the students and faculty. He asked people to also wear purple to the Hallsville Christmas Parade on Tuesday, The Longview- News Journal reported.
A GoFundMeA page was created for the family. “On November 27 God received an angel whose time was cut very short. Through a hunting accident we lost a very special little girl,”Deborah George, GoFundMe’s organizer wrote this:
“She was always a joker trying to lift everyone’s spirits. She loved to draw her heart out. Daisy loved to be surrounded by the outdoors. Always down for an adventure big or small. Please help us lay this little girl down to rest. Thank you so much for any help.”
On Tuesday afternoon, they had raised more than $14,000, surpassing their original goal of $10,000.
