PALM BAY, Fla. – A woman and her boyfriend are facing charges after a child got a hold of a stolen hand gun that was left unsecured in a home and fatally shot the woman’s 6-year-old daughter, according to the Palm Bay Police Department.
The shooting happened around 6 p.m. June 30 at a home on Washington Street NE.
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Records show Natalie Ranga-Sammy Eno, 6, was somehow shot when her 10-year-old brother found a gun. She died as a result of her injuries.
Police said at first, the 10-year-old child told police the victim had taken the gun from her parent’s room herself and was playing with it when it went off, according to the report.
“Initial investigation has led investigators to believe this is a tragic accident involving siblings,” police officials said in a news release at the time. “As this is an open, ongoing investigation, further details are unavailable at this time.”
During an interview later, the boy told investigators that he was the one who had taken the gun from their parents’ room and that he was playing with it when it went off, according to the report. The boy told investigators he didn’t think the gun was real and was “shocked” when it discharged.
While talking to the child, a detective heard the boy tell his father he tossed the firearm under the couch after the shooting because he was scared, according to the report.
Police asked the victim’s mother, Naomi Ranga-Sammy, where they typically store the guns inside the home, to which she replied that they don’t keep guns at the home.
While serving a warrant at the home, police said they found the gun located under the couch, as well as a magazine with three rounds of ammunition in it. Police said they also found marijuana, plastic baggies and several roaches inside the home.
On Monday, police announced that Ranga-Sammy, had been arrested on charges of child neglect and culpable negligence while her boyfriend, Gregory Hillman, is facing charges of possession of a firearm by convicted felon, child neglect and culpable negligence.
Police said the gun used in the accidental shooting had previously been reported stolen out of Palm Bay and had been left unsecured in the home before the shooting.
Both Ranga-Sammy and Hillman were booked into the Brevard County Jail.