INDIANAPOLIS -- The mother of a 5-year-old girl killed in an accidental shooting on New Year's Eve was arrested Wednesday on neglect charges.
Police said Asia Turentine, 23, was with her son and daughter in their apartment on Newburgh Drive when the 5-year-old was shot in the head.
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Turentine told detectives she put her children in their beds for a nap and was asleep on the couch when a gunshot woke her. According to court documents, she heard her daughter scream and then saw her son come running out of the bedroom. When Turentine ran into the room, she saw her little girl lying on the floor.
Turentine said she had bought the gun in May but had never used it. It was in her purse, which was lying in the middle of her bed where she said the children found it, records show.
Detectives also interviewed Turentine’s 3-year-old son. When they asked him if anyone had gotten hurt at their home, the young boy said, “yea… her at home… I shoot her… In her face… In her face.”
Court documents state that the boy told police he shot his sister with a gun that he found in his mother’s purse. He also told detectives that he had never touched the gun before that day.
The young girl was taken to Riley Children’s Hospital where she later died.
Asia Turentine is charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death and neglect of a dependent.
