Cops: Shot 9-Year-Old Might Have Lived Had Parents Been Home

A criminal complaint says a 9-year-old Milwaukee girl who was accidentally shot and killed by her brother might have survived if she had received prompt medical attention, the AP reports. The document says the girl and her five siblings, ranging in age from 1 to 10, were home alone with no way to reach their parents when the shooting happened Saturday. The parents were charged Tuesday with child neglect causing death and other counts.

The complaint says the girl's older brother found her playing with a handgun in their parents' bedroom. He took the weapon from her and accidentally shot her in the neck. The girl fell down a flight of stairs. Prosecutors say their parents found the girl on the living room floor when they returned and rushed her to the hospital. (In another recent case, a mother is accused of coming home to check on her 4-year-old daughter after the girl was shot by her 8-year-old brother, but then returning to work.)