Investigators said Thursday the fatal shooting of a 3-year-old Atlanta girl appears to be an accident.
"Considering all witness statements, this incident appears to have been the result of some kind of accident," Atlanta Police homicide commander Lt. Paul Guerrucci said.
Larenzo D. Montgomery, 18, was arrested Thursday and charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct in the shooting of Takira Garlington, authorities said.
A Fulton County judge denied bond to Montgomery, pending a preliminary hearing in Superior Court on April 12.
Officers were called to the home in the 3200 block of Cushman Circle around 3:42 p.m.Wednesday after a report of shots fired, police said. Takira, who was shot in the stomach, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
"Due to the nature of the allegations, you do not qualify for bond," Fulton County Magistrate Judge Jessy Lall told Montgomery during his first court appearance Thursday morning at the Fulton County jail.
Montgomery said nothing and furrowed his brow as he heard the judge's decision.
Montgomery's father, Malcolm Montgomery, was outside the jail after his son's hearing and told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he thought bond should have been granted.
"It was an accident," Malcolm Montgomery said. "He's a good kid. He doesn't deserve this."
The older Montgomery said his son was visiting the home of his sister's boyfriend, who is Takira's father, and the people there found a gun.
"My son was fumbling with the gun when it went off and hit the little girl," Malcolm Montgomery said.
Guerrucci told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday that the four adults in the house at the time of the shooting were taken to police headquarters for questioning.
Thursday afternoon, he said Takira's mother was among those in the house.
"We want to interview all of them, and collectively review [the interviews] and correlate them back to the evidence on the scene," Guerrucci said.
"It is our belief based upon forensic evidence on the scene and witness testimony that [Montgomery] fired the gun," Guerrucci said.
But he said investigators haven't closed the investigation or ruled out the possibility that others might be charged.
"There's still a lot more to do," Guerrucci said. "We're keeping all the options open. It just depends upon what our further investigation reveals."
The gun fired once, inside the house, and no one else was injured, he said.
Police have filed an application with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to trace the gun.
Homicide investigators obtained a search warrant that made possible "an intrusive search of the house" and turned up the gun believed used in the incident, Guerrucci said. Whether the gun was legally owned by one of the adults in the home was uncertain.
Two dogs from ATF were brought in to track ballistic evidence. Guerrucci said a ballistics report matching gunfire evidence to the gun found in the house will be done by the GBI and could take several months.
An autopsy of the child will be conducted Thursday or Friday.
"Depending on what their findings are, and our findings, the cause and manner of death will follow," Guerrucci said. "That could take several weeks."
According to standard operating procedure, police notify the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services in cases involving children "to make them part of the investigation," he said.
Takira was visiting her grandmother, her great-grandmother Aquanita Carter, told the AJC. Carter said she learned about the shooting from news reports.
"When they said ‘Cushman Circle' I knew it was my daughter's house," Carter said. "We came straight here."
Carter said her daughter, who owns the home but hasn't been identified by police, didn't own a gun. "She doesn't like guns like I don't like guns," she said.
Neighbor Karrin Mateen said she didn’t know the family well, but never had problems with them.
Mateen, who said she’s lived next to the family for about five years, said she saw Takira often and the child looked well cared for. She didn’t know of any previous problems the family might have had with authorities.
“I never heard of any problems with that baby,” she said. “They’re quiet neighbors like I am.”
Malcolm Montgomery said Takira was his son's niece, and offered condolences to the child's immediate family.
"They've got to keep their heads up," he said.
Although he hadn't spoken with his son, Malcolm Montgomery said he knew his son was remorseful.
"He's got to be hurting right now," Montgomery said. "He loved that little girl."
-- Staff writer Katie Leslie contributed to this article.
About the Author
