A 14-year-old boy has been arrested in the death of Miracle Brantley — the 8-year-old Macon girl who authorities said shot herself while playing with a gun at her grandmother’s house a little over a week ago.
The identity of the boy in custody was being withheld because of his age. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office accused the teen of illegally possessing a handgun and taking it into the home where the child was shot, reports said.
He faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct and possession of a gun by a person younger than 18, according to reports.
»PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 8-year-old fatally shot herself while playing with gun
On the day of the shooting, Miracle Brantley’s brother told deputies that his sister shot herself in the head.
Miracle’s grandmother, Patricia Reed, told authorities her four grandchildren were doing schoolwork at her home in the 2300 block of Ballard Drive on Jan. 29, when someone brought the gun into the home without her knowledge. The children somehow found the weapon and were playing with the gun before it went off. Reed heard the gunshot shortly before 4 p.m. and found the girl mortally wounded in the kitchen, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
The girl was transported to a local hospital and later airlifted to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Scottish Rite Hospital, according to WMAZ-TV. She died the following Sunday from her injuries. The investigation is ongoing, and an autopsy report will confirm how the child shot herself.
A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conducted in 2017, showed that an average of 1,287 children and adolescents in the U.S. die each year due to gun violence. More than half of firearm deaths, according to the report, were homicides (53%), 38% were suicides and about 6% were unintentional.
Information provided by The Associated Press was used to compile this report.
