Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 21, 1994 TAG: 9407210094
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MERRIMAC LENGTH: Short
The two girls, 12 and 13, were home alone in the 1400 block of Merrimac Road when the shooting happened, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.
The 13-year-old girl retrieved her father's gun, a .22-caliber handgun, from a closet shelf and it accidentally went off while she was showing it to her friend, investigators said.
The 12-year-old girl was shot in the right forearm. The other girl called 911, Lt. Tommy Whitt said.
The injured girl was taken to Montgomery Regional Hospital for treatment of what authorities called an "in and out" bullet wound. She was later released.
Whitt said an investigation is continuing, and it will be up to the commonwealth's attorney's office to decide whether any charges should be filed, either against the 13-year-old girl or her parents.
Virginia law makes it a misdemeanor to recklessly leave a loaded, unsecured firearm accessible to children under the age of 14 in such a way as to endanger their lives. The misdemeanor carries a maximum fine of $500.
by CNB