Melvin Andre Clark Jr. Charged After Toddler’s Death

Melvin Andre Clark Jr. of Fayetteville, North Carolina has been arrested and charged with the death of his two-year-old daughter after she shot herself.

According to CNN, Clark, 19, was arrested Sunday after his daughter found his gun and fatally shot herself. The two-year-old girl, now being identified as Samarri Tyana Beauford, had reportedly been playing in the home where she lived with her aunt and grandmother Saturday when she found the gun and accidentally shot herself.

The gun that was found in the home was a.22-caliber pistol and Fayetteville police spokesman lieutenant Todd Joyce has stated that Clark left it under the couch in the home.

The Fayetteville Observer reported that Clark has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. CNN stated that police found several outstanding warrants when police ran Clark’s name, some of which included misdemeanor cruelty to animals, larceny and marijuana possession charges. Clark was also sentenced on convictions of breaking and entering, larceny and possession of a firearm by a minor.

According to The Hollywood Gossip, Joyce stated the following:

“A child that small, they don’t have the strength to pull a trigger with their index finger, but they are strong enough to use pressure from their two thumbs. Typically, they’ll be looking at the weapon when these things happen.”

Children with guns is becoming more of a regular occurrence then many choose to believe. The Inquisitr reported Monday morning of a shooting that took place at Sparks Middle School in Sparks, Nevada, killing two and critically injuring two others. The report continued on to suggest that one of the dead was the shooter.

The shooting took place around 7:16 am local time as children where gathering in classrooms for the start of the school day. CNN reported that it was a student who had opened fire.

In the case of Samarri Tyana Beauford, she was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center where she had died of her injuries. Police are not currently commenting on the shooting itself, but have said that nobody else was injured during the incident.

Joyce has stated that police are perusing the involuntary manslaughter charge because his daughter was killed in a “reckless or careless manner” or by a “heedless indifference” to the safety of others.

The two-year-old’s father, Melvin Andre Clark Jr., is currently being held in the Cumberland County Detention Center on a $50,000 secured bond. According to CNN, Clark was scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon.

[Image via Shutterstock/ zimmytws]