A Paulding County man was arrested after his 4-year-old sister found his gun and shot herself in the head, the sheriff’s office said.
Joseph Edwin Hinson, 20, was charged with both second-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to children after the child died early Saturday, according to investigators. The child’s name was not released.
Deputies were called at 2:40 a.m. Friday to a Hiram-area home on a report that the girl been hurt in a fall, according to Mayor Ashley Henson.
“When first responders arrived, they realized this was more than just a child who had fallen and gotten injured,” Henson said in a statement.
Investigators quickly determined the child had a gunshot wound to the head, Henson said. The shooting happened at a home on Village Drive.
The girl died that morning from her injuries, the sheriff’s office said. The GBI conducted an autopsy on her Saturday, Henson said.
Investigators believe Hinson left his gun unattended. He was being held without bond Tuesday at the Paulding jail.
The child’s death remains under investigation and anyone with information on the case is asked to call the sheriff’s office tip line at 770-443-3047 or send a message via the Paulding sheriff mobile app.
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