Norman mother arrested on murder complaint after 1-year-old girl shot dead.
A Norman mother was arrested on a complaint of second-degree murder after her 1-year-old daughter was shot and killed by a sibling who grabbed an unattended gun.
New court documents say the mother had placed her pistol on a bedroom vanity and walked away when the child grabbed the firearm.
According to court documents, on July 11, police were called to a home on Teakwood Drive after the mother called 911 and said her child had grabbed her gun and shot the 1-year-old girl in the head.
Documents state that she had set the pistol down on the vanity and turned to open a safe when the child grabbed the gun and allegedly climbed into a playpen, where the girl was shot. She later died from her injuries at a local hospital.
The mother was reportedly feeling “anxious” because she thought the 1-year-old child’s father, whom she had a victim protective order against, was trying to talk with her after she spotted a “suspicious car” near the home, according to the documents.
Norman police issued a search warrant for the home where electronic devices allegedly revealed the mother’s gun was “out of her control” much longer than she reported to police, according to the documents.
Police have been investigating the tragedy for several weeks, and on Thursday, the mother was arrested on a complaint of second-degree murder, Cleveland County jail records show.
Her bond was set at $200,000 and according to Cleveland County jail officials, she was released Friday afternoon.
Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services released at statement about the child’s death.
“The loss of a child is a profound tragedy, and our Oklahoma Human Services team mourns alongside the community during this heartbreaking time. The agency is committed to cooperating and supporting the appropriate agencies who are investigating this tragic situation and gathering the facts in their case. Additionally, child welfare cases are confidential by state and federal statutes, so we are unable to discuss the facts or circumstances of any child welfare case with anyone who is not authorized by statute or permitted by an order of the court,” officials wrote.
