Accidental gunshot kills father after Columbus girl picks up pistol, authorities say
Police are investigating a fatal overnight shooting in midtown Columbus.
Around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, police were called to a home on Schaul Street, where Michael Deion McDougal, 27, was pronounced dead at the scene, Columbus Police Department spokeswoman Katina Williams told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Williams and Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan said the shooting appears to have been an accident involving a 9-year-old girl and her father.
“There was a pistol laying on a table, and she picked it up,” Bryan said. “He probably told her to put it back down or whatever, and when she did, it discharged and hit him in the head and killed him.”
No arrests or charges have been made, but the case remains under investigation, Williams said.
The incident is a tragic reminder about what can happen when children are around unsecured guns, Williams said.
This story was originally published December 1, 2021 at 11:45 AM.
