Toddler fatally shot inside home and witnesses aren’t cooperating, Florida cops say

Eight people were inside a home when a Florida toddler was fatally shot with “an American tactical multi-caliber assault pistol,” but getting at the truth of what happened has been difficult, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

Witnesses aren’t fully cooperating, so no one has been charged and detectives can’t confidently rule the shooting wasn’t intentional, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said during a news conference.

However, one thing is known for sure, he said.

“The child did not touch the firearm,” Staly says. “The child is an innocent victim in this case.”

It happened around 11:45 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 3, at a home in Palm Coast, about 60 miles south of Jacksonville, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

“A frantic 911 call (reported) a baby had been shot,” officials said. “Upon arrival, deputies located an 18-month-old female with a gunshot wound to the head. The child was transported to the hospital where she was pronounced deceased.”

Eight adults were in the home at the time, including the child’s biological mother, Staly said.

Detectives also found 420 grams of marijuana and 11 grams “of a white powdery substance that we believe is either cocaine or heroin,” Staly said.

Among the adults in the home was a 21-year-old man who was arrested on a probation violation charge and is also considered a person of interest in the child’s death, Staly said.

The firearm used in the shooting was identified as “an American tactical multi-caliber assault pistol,” which can fire multiple types of shells, Staly said. “At this time, we are still determining the caliber she was actually shot with.”

Investigators are working to determine the relationship the eight adults have to each other, and forensics is being used to see who among them may have touched the gun, Staly said.

“All eight people inside the house have not been totally cooperative, and so this (case) will be based on forensics and good police work,” Staly said.

“That’s why we’re not ruling anyone out in that house, but we have a primary person of interest. It would be a lot easier if everybody would tell us the truth in exactly what went on in that house. But here’s what I do know ... we will get to the bottom of this and we will hold somebody accountable for the death of an 18-month-old child.”

Investigators do not believe the shooting was drug related, despite the presence of “a fairly large amount of drugs in the house,” Staly said.

Gun violence in the US

Thousands of people die every year from firearm injuries in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Firearm injuries are a serious public health problem,” officials said. “In 2020, there were 45,222 firearm-related deaths in the United States — that’s about 124 people dying from a firearm-related injury each day.”

Firearm-related injuries were one of the top leading causes of death for people ages 1 to 44 in 2020, the CDC reported.

“More than half of firearm-related deaths were suicides and more than 4 out of every 10 were firearm homicides,” the CDC says.

The impact of gun violence, however, goes beyond the death toll, experts said.

“The effects of firearm violence extend beyond victims and their families,” according to the CDC. “Shooting incidents, including those in homes, schools, houses of worship, workplaces, shopping areas, on the street or at community events can affect the sense of safety and security of entire communities and impact everyday decisions.”

This story was originally published September 6, 2023 at 11:44 AM with the headline "Toddler fatally shot inside home and witnesses aren’t cooperating, Florida cops say."