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In a tragic incident in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, a four-year-old boy lost his life due to a shooting, leading to serious charges against his parents. Authorities have accused the parents of failing to secure firearms, a neglect that had fatal consequences.
Responding to a distressing call on the evening of March 25, the Big Stone Gap Police Department arrived at a residence on Artesian Well Hollow Road. There, they discovered the young boy on the floor of his parents’ bedroom, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
Upon investigation, officers found a total of 11 unsecured firearms and ammunition within the bedroom. Alarmingly, two of these firearms were loaded, including the one involved in the shooting. This negligence allowed the child to gain access to a loaded weapon.
At the time of the incident, there were five children present in the household, heightening the severity of the situation. The police department’s report highlighted the parents’ failure to secure the bedroom or the firearms, leaving the children vulnerable to this preventable danger.
“Evidence shows the parents of the children had made no effort to secure the bedroom to prevent the children from entering the room or securing the firearms inside the room,” the police department stated in a release.
The police department charged the boy’s mother, Karrlee Gallihar, and stepfather, James Daniel Gallihar, each with five counts of felony child abuse and neglect and four counts of recklessly leaving a loaded unsecured firearm accessible to a child under the age of 14.