- May 17, 2024
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Last updated: 6:45 p.m. Sept. 4
An 18-month-old girl was shot at a house in Palm Coast the night of Sept. 3 and died of a gunshot wound to the head.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has named one person as a “person of interest” in connection with the shooting, and deputies have arrested him on a charge of probation violation for possessing a firearm in violation of his probation. The shooting may have been accidental, and Major Case Unit detectives are still investigating, according to the FCSO.
“This is a tragic situation, and we offer our condolences to the family and friends of this little girl. This was a young life cut way too short,” Sheriff Rick Staly said, according to an FCSO news release.
The county's emergency dispatch center received a frantic 911 call at about 11:45 p.m. reporting that a baby had been shot at a home at 2 Ranwood Lane.
Arriving deputies found the girl injured, but alive, according to an FCSO spokeswoman. Emergency medical personnel took her to AdventHealth Palm Coast, where she died.
Investigators have removed a handgun from the house as evidence, according to the FCSO. Eight people who live in the home, including the girl's mother, were there when investigators arrived.
The residents have not been forthcoming, and detectives found 420 grams of marijuana and 11 grams of a powdery substance they suspect is cocaine or heroin in the home, Sheriff Rick Staly said in a press conference.
Staly said the FCSO would investigate, with assistance from State Attorney’s Office's Homicide Investigation Unit, "until all facts are known."
"This will be based on forensics and good police work and continuing interviews with the eight individuals in there," Staly said. "That's why we're not ruling anyone out in that house. ... We will get to the bottom of this, and we will hold somebody accountable for the death of an 18-month-old child."
Florida Department of Law Enforcement crime scene investigators are also aiding in the investigation.
The shooting indicates no threat to the broader community, Staly said.
"The incident was contained inside this residence, and all persons present or involved have been identified," he said.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that there were six people in the house when law enforcement arrived. There were eight, according to the FCSO.
