New Orleans: 5-year-old girl fatally shoots self after finding gun

[News_Editor]

For 2009-11 ER6n or ER6f1.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA (BNO NEWS) -- A 5-year-old girl left home alone Sunday while her mother went to the store found a shotgun and fatally shot herself in the head, police said on Monday. The mother is expected to be charged with second degree murder due to her negligence.

The incident happened just before 11 a.m. local time on Sunday at a residence in New Orleans, the largest city in the state of Louisiana. Responding officers located the 5-year-old girl in a bedroom and she was transported to a local hospital, where she later died after several hours on life support.

"She was taken off of life support a short while ago and succumbed to her injury," said Officer Hilal Williams of the New Orleans Police Department. "A preliminary investigation indicates the child was home alone and had somehow come into contact with a .38 revolver and accidentally shot herself in the head."

Records from the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office show the child's mother, identified as Laderika Smith, was celebrating her 28th birthday on Sunday. She told officers that she had locked her daughter inside the residence for "a short period of time" while she went to a store in the area.

"Upon her return, she located the child lying on the bedroom floor with a gunshot wound to the head. Smith did confess to having a gun inside the home," said Williams. Smith was initially booked on one count of Cruelty to a Juvenile but the charge is expected to be upgraded to Second Degree Murder after the child died.

(Copyright 2013 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: [email protected].)

[H1w4yR1da]

Laderika? Right...

[F430murci]

Oh my! Jeez. 5-year old. I cannot imagine, especially when the death is your fault as a parent. Leaving 5 year old home alone. Leaving a gun in reach of five year old with bullets in it. Shit! With all of this big brother crap going on, they perhaps really should divert their attention to sterilizing people that have no business having a baby.

[FDog]

Exactly, who the hell leaves a 5 year old at home alone........with guns around as well.

Some should never ever be allowed to have children.

[manarak]

sad accident.

strange how some judicial systems insist on further ruining the life of the negligent parents with criminal charges. One would suppose the loss of the child to be sufficient, making additional punishment unnecessary.

[F430murci]

sad accident.

strange how some judicial systems insist on further ruining the life of the negligent parents with criminal charges. One would suppose the loss of the child to be sufficient, making additional punishment unnecessary.

It is not about the parents. It is about the child and advocating for an innocent child and deterring similar actions against innocent children. Parents need to pay the piper for leaving a toddler alone, much less what happened here. If she cared so much, why did she leave it alone with access to a loaded gun? Its a crime just to leave the child unattended. The sad part is that we actually need laws to protect children from parents like these.

What about the drunk smashing into a car killing an entire family. Should they walk if they feel remorseful and cannot live with themselves for harming another human. What about the drunk running into a tree and killing their child in the car with them.

[NeverSure]

I agree that charges should be brought. No 5 year old should be left home alone. She could just as easily have gotten into a poison or something. She certainly shouldn't have had access to that shotgun, even when the mother was home.

The state has to send a message to everyone that this crime of leaving the child unattended, especially ending in death, has consequences beyond just remorse.

[F430murci]

I agree that charges should be brought. No 5 year old should be left home alone. She could just as easily have gotten into a poison or something. She certainly shouldn't have had access to that shotgun, even when the mother was home.

The state has to send a message to everyone that this crime of leaving the child unattended, especially ending in death, has consequences beyond just remorse.

I think shot gun was a misprint. They later said a .38 shot to the head killed her.

Please, Please, Please don't start with the psycho poison this, gun that crap. Just an exercise in futility. Haha, I was afraid to look seeing your name that another raging gun debate had commenced.

[Mosha]

Exactly, who the hell leaves a 5 year old at home alone........with guns around as well.

Some should never ever be allowed to have children.

Same kind of people who give 4 and 5 year olds guns.

[Credo]

But if your locking your 5 year old in a house, how are they supposed to defend themselves if you don't leave a gun? This mother obviously hadn't been teaching her child the etiquette surrounding gun ownership.

May the poor child RIP.

[Credo]

I am always amazed at the parents who will firmly lock up the liquor supply, but leave a loaded weapon out.

[F430murci]

I am always amazed at the parents who will firmly lock up the liquor supply, but leave a loaded weapon out.

Perhaps a good idea to lock up the liquor. Nothing more dangerous than a DRUNK toddler with a gum.

Edited June 26, 2013 by F430murci

[NeverSure]

I'm appalled at the ability of some here to make jokes about this. There's nothing funny about it.

A "mother" leaves a 5 year old girl home alone. That's bad enough and illegal. Additionally this "mother" fails to secure a shotgun which at no time the child should have access to even when adults are home.

Now there is a tragic death of a child and I can find nothing to joke about, nor can I find any respect for those who can make light of it.

[F430murci]

I'm appalled at the ability of some here to make jokes about this. There's nothing funny about it.

A "mother" leaves a 5 year old girl home alone. That's bad enough and illegal. Additionally this "mother" fails to secure a shotgun which at no time the child should have access to even when adults are home.

Now there is a tragic death of a child and I can find nothing to joke about, nor can I find any respect for those who can make light of it.

Lighten up. I was as stern as anyone on mother. Joke had nothing to do with this incident.

Again it was a .38. Shot gun early in article is a misprint.

[billd766]

What does the NRA have to say about this?

Normally it is "guns don't kill people, people kill people".

I feel so sad for the child and nothing but contempt for the mother.

[7by7]

Another child dies because their parents have guns lying about the house.

How many more innocent children have to die before the USA brings in proper gun laws?

[Scott]

Off-topic posts and replies deleted.

[NeverSure]

Another child dies because their parents have guns lying about the house.

How many more innocent children have to die before the USA brings in proper gun laws?

The US has "proper" gun laws. The mother broke the law. She needs to be punished.

[Scott]

Troll post and reply deleted. Continue to post off-topic and you will receive a suspension.

[BigBadSeattleLad]

Another child dies because their parents have guns lying about the house.

How many more innocent children have to die before the USA brings in proper gun laws?

Another child dies because their parents have guns lying about the house.

How many more innocent children have to die before the USA brings in proper gun laws?

"Proper gun laws" are laws that will NOT deprive millions of law abiding citizens of the right to defend their property simply because 1 or 2 dimwits fail to secure their guns. Slapping laws on everything that poses a potential threat when a given item (in this case a gun) is inevitably, on occasion, mishandled would end up in a totalitarian North Korea-type society. On the same shallow rationale... shall we outlaw plastic bags because an innocent child somewhere will inevitably get his head stuck in it and suffocate? Then shall we outlaw household cleaning products because an innocent child will inevitably get access and think it's KoolAide? Then of course automobiles will have got to be outlawed because innocent children die much to often in accidents. Depriving millions of their rights to arm themselves, or of their plastic bags, cleaning products, and cars is a dopey suggestion which would ultimately create far greater problems than solutions. Try to think beyond your nose...

[7by7]

BigBadSeattleLad,
Similar arguments to those you raise have been posted before in this topic, and counter arguments have been given to them.

Unfortunately, though, we are not allowed to discuss them here.

Off-topic posts and replies deleted.

Troll post and reply deleted. Continue to post off-topic and you will receive a suspension.

[FDog]

BigBadSeattleLad,

Similar arguments to those you raise have been posted before in this topic, and counter arguments have been given to them.

Unfortunately, though, we are not allowed to discuss them here.

-------------------

So, '7by7'..... you can use a tragedy to argue & promote your pet cause, but - when another person counters your argument for it - it gets deleted. Is that the way it works here?

Yes that is normal on here, don't ask me why, but it happens all the time.

[Sing_Sling]

Exactly, who the hell leaves a 5 year old at home alone........with guns around as well.

Some should never ever be allowed to have children.

Same kind of people who give 4 and 5 year olds guns.

Indeed . . . cretins

[Credo]

Exactly, who the hell leaves a 5 year old at home alone........with guns around as well.

Some should never ever be allowed to have children.

Same kind of people who give 4 and 5 year olds guns.

Indeed . . . cretins

I doubt that the mother wanted the 5 year old to have the gun.

[Sing_Sling]

Exactly, who the hell leaves a 5 year old at home alone........with guns around as well.

Some should never ever be allowed to have children.

Same kind of people who give 4 and 5 year olds guns.

Indeed . . . cretins

I doubt that the mother wanted the 5 year old to have the gun.

I wouldn't think so either, but there are ways to ensure that the five year old wouldn't have had the gun - she didn't follow those basic steps and the poor woman (yes, I have absolute sympathy for her) will suffer the rest of her life for this.

Guns