MUNCIE, Ind. — A 5-year-old girl is dead after being shot by her 6-year-old brother inside their Muncie home Tuesday afternoon.
According to Muncie Police, officers were dispatched to a home in the 2800 block of South Monroe Street just before 2:30 p.m. on a report of a shooting.
The officers arrived to find the girl who had been shot inside the home. She was taken to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The children's parents, Kimberly and Jacob Grayson, were arrested for neglect of a dependent resulting in death and multiple felony counts of neglect of a dependent.
On Tuesday, Aug. 2, Kimberly and Jacob were both formally charged with three counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 6 felony, and one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony.
According to court documents, the boy told police he got the gun out of a safe in his parents' bedroom while his mother was taking a nap. The boy told police the key was left in the keyhole, which was how he opened the safe and got the gun.
The boy told police he was playing with the gun when he accidentally shot his sister.
During an interview with police, Kimberly said she believed she was only asleep for 5 minutes.
Police also spoke with Jacob, who said his son had gotten into the safe before. Jacob said he moved the safe from its previous location after his son got in it, but he acknowledged that the new location was not out of reach for the boy.
Jacob and Kimberly told police they had taken their son to a shooting range to show him how to shoot a gun.
According to court documents, police described the living conditions inside the home as "deplorable," noting food, trash, animal feces and untidy furniture throughout the home.