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6-Year-Old Girl Accidentally Shot and Killed by Brother While Parents Were at Christmas Party: Police

Police said the boy found a 9mm handgun in his parents’ dresser.

A 6-year-old Missouri girl was accidentally shot and killed by her 12-year-old brother Friday night while their parents were away at a Christmas party, police say. Maliyah Palmer died after being shot in the head by her brother while their 16-year-old sister was left in charge of them, according to authorities. According to police, the boy found a 9mm handgun in a dresser drawer in his parents’ bedroom, then accidentally shot his younger sister. “All of the officers who responded to the scene are mothers and fathers, so you can only imagine how personal it is to see a child shot in the back of the head,” Police Chief Timothy Lowery said. Parents have been charged with endangering the welfare of a child in similar cases in which a gun was not kept secure. First-degree endangering the welfare of a child is a felony punishable in Missouri by up to seven years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Investigators have not announced any charges in this case yet.