A Virginia mother and her 11-year-old son have been criminally charged in connection with the fatal shooting of the woman’s 6-year-old daughter, police said.
While responding to a reported shooting at a home in Petersburg on March 10, officers found a 6-year-old girl who had been shot, according to the Petersburg Bureau of Police.
She was taken to a hospital, where she ultimately died, police said in an initial March 11 news release.
In an update on Tuesday, March 24, the Petersburg Bureau of Police said that Natalie Joyce Burford was arrested on three counts of child neglect, leaving a loaded firearm accessible and child endangerment in relation to her daughter’s death.
Burford’s 11-year-old son has also been charged with manslaughter as a result of the shooting, police said.
It was not immediately clear whether Burford, 30, had retained an attorney who could speak on her behalf as of Wednesday, March 25.
Burford’s daughter was identified as Ka’Niya by family members who spoke with WTVR-TV.
While speaking about the shooting with the TV station, Petersburg Police Chief Travis Christian said, “As adults, we have to protect our children and in doing so, if we are going to possess these weapons, we have to keep them locked up.”
“Gun locks are free,” Christian added. “We offer gun locks, [so do] many organizations, insurance companies … gun locks are available for anyone that wants them.”
Authorities have not specified exactly how the fatal shooting unfolded.
In a March 25 Facebook post, the Petersburg Bureau of Police shared a message encouraging the public to responsibly handle and secure firearms to prevent “accidents, injuries, and tragedies.”
“Keep guns locked and unloaded when not in use. Store ammunition separately and securely,” the department advised.
“Ensure firearms are inaccessible to children and teens,” the department also said. “Talk openly with young people about the dangers of firearms.”
In Virginia, children charged with criminal offenses may face the state’s juvenile justice system. Depending on a minor’s age and the alleged crime, they could be charged as an adult under state law, according to Whitlock Law, PLLC, a criminal justice law firm in Leesburg.
A minor who is at least 14 could be tried as an adult if they are charged with offenses such as murder, manslaughter, rape or sexual assault, robbery with a deadly weapon, carjacking, and wounding, the law firm reports online.
