FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A man has been arrested after his 4-year-old daughter was killed by gunfire in an East Point home on New Year’s Eve.
East Point police received a call about the shooting at Martel Homes on Sunday.
When they arrived, they found a girl injured by a gunshot wound. She later died at the hospital.
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Police initially said on Monday that the victim was a boy. On Tuesday, they identified the child as a 4-year-old girl.
Police have not released her name, but family friends identified the girl to Channel 2′s Audrey Washington as Kamaiya Perdue.
“Last time I saw her she was on the porch with the little kids,” neighbor Shaka Reid said.
Investigators have determined that the shooting happened inside the home. Police made an arrest and identified the suspect as DeMarkis Perdue, the girl’s father.
“That tragedy just happened, it just happened,” Reid told Washington.
It’s unclear what led up to the shooting, but East Point police said it wants to stress “the importance of securing weapons within your residence.”
“The main thing is please lock up your weapons because in this case and other cases, a child can get a hold of it,” East Point Police Department Sgt., J.L. Watkins said on Tuesday.
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Perdue is charged with second-degree murder, cruelty to children, and tampering with evidence. Police believe Perdue tried to get rid of evidence after the shooting.
“Trying to hide the weapon or trying to hide any evidence that goes with the weapon,” Watkins added.
“Make sure you have it in a place where you know where it is safe,” said Reid.
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