6-Year-Old Georgia Girl Accidentally Shoots Younger Sibling In Face, Gun Owner Absconding

A six-year-old girl unintentionally shot her younger sibling in the face with a loaded gun while playing. The incident took place at a home on Kelley Street, Georgia, on Monday.

LaGrange Police officers responded to an emergency call regarding a girl being shot in Kelley Street at around 2 p.m. on Monday.

When they arrived at the scene, they discovered a four-year-old girl was critically wounded after sustaining a gunshot injury to the face. The child was rushed to a hospital in Columbus and was later transported to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Police said she was in a critical but stable condition as of Monday evening.

According to a statement released by the police, the preliminary investigation showed the shooting was accidental. The victim’s six-year-old sibling was playing with the gun she had found and unintentionally discharged it, injuring the four-year-old child.

"Information obtained during the initial investigation indicates that the shooting was accidental. It is believed that the victim's 6-year-old sibling located the weapon and was playing with it, causing it to discharge and strike the 4-year-old in the face," police mentioned in the statement.

They also mentioned the gun was allegedly left within the reach of the children by a 28-year-old man identified as Leemarkese Deangelo Melson. His relationship with the children was not revealed at the time.

Police said the man fled from the scene with the weapon after the shooting took place. He was reportedly a convicted felon who was wanted for two counts of violation of probation and one count of failure to appear.

Following the incident, a search warrant was issued for Melson’s arrest. He now faces additional charges of second-degree cruelty to a child, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and tampering with evidence.

No arrests have been made as of yet.

People with information regarding Melson's whereabouts were urged to contact the LaGrange Police Department, Troup County 911, or Troup County Crimestoppers at (706)812-1000.