A 6-year-old girl accidentally shot by another child dies, Orangeburg SC sheriff says

A South Carolina child has died after an apparent accidental shooting, the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday.

“We are brokenhearted over this tragic loss of a little princess,” Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said in a statement. “We lost someone precious this week.”

Orangeburg investigators were called to a Eutawville residence for a reported shooting Wednesday around 3:30 p.m., officials said. They learned that a 6-year-old girl had been critically wounded after being shot by another child in the residence.

The girl was taken to a medical facility where she later died from a single gunshot wound to the upper body.

“My heart is extremely heavy at having to let the public know what happened,” Ravenell said. “This type of incident, this type of investigation is one of the hardest an investigator will ever do.”

Unintentional injury from a firearm is leading cause of death for children in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. Last year was the worst year on record for unintentional shootings by children, surpassing 400 incidents, according to Everytown, a nonprofit that advocates for gun safety.

WIS10 reported that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating the shooting. The investigation is ongoing.

This story was originally published August 10, 2024 at 3:17 PM.

Alexa Jurado

The State

Alexa Jurado is a news reporter for The State covering Lexington County and Richland County schools. She previously wrote about the University of South Carolina and contributes to this coverage. A Chicago suburbs native, Alexa graduated from Marquette University and previously wrote for publications in Illinois and Wisconsin. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, the Milwaukee Press Club and the South Carolina Press Association.