A South Carolina father accidentally fired his gun Thursday evening while trying to make it “safe,” killing his 2-year-old daughter and injuring his 4-year-old daughter.
While “attempting to make the weapon safe,” the 30-year-old father accidentally fired the gun, striking his hand and both his daughters in the upper body, the Richland County sheriff’s department said in a statement.
Two-year-old Heaven Miller died from the gunshot wound, the sheriff said. Both the father and his 4-year-old daughter suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The father was cleaning his gun on the family’s porch when it went off after he sat on it, the State newspaper reported.
The sheriff’s department is investigating the shooting as accidental.
“Right now, it just looks like an accidental shooting,” Sheriff Leon Lott told the State.
The girls’ pregnant mother was at the house during the shooting, the State reported. She was taken to the hospital but the baby was not born.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- The Revolution of Yulia Navalnaya
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- What's the Deal With the Bitcoin Halving?
- If You're Dating Right Now , You're Brave: Column
- The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
- Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com