Last week, a 5-year-old girl from Georgia was fatally shot. Authorities allege the person who accidentally killed the girl was also a small child, who was a lifelong friend.
Jada Willingham died last Friday just as she arrived at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston Hospital, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, WXIA-TV and WAGA-TV.
Police suspect she had been shot in the face in an accidental shooting.
Police continue to investigate inside the home in Lithonia.
Investigators spoke to Jada’s longtime babysitter, who was in the house when the tragedy unfolded.
The 68-year-old woman informed DeKalb County police investigators Jada was one of four children she was watching at the time of the shooting.
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Police allegedly arrived at the home at about 2:30 p.m. to find the babysitter kneeling on the ground next to Jada, using a cloth to stop the bleeding.
The shooter and the victim had known each other from the beginning of their births.
The babysitter said the two girls had been been playing together in the bedroom and apparently had found a loaded handgun.
The babysitter recalled hearing the gunshot from where she was in the kitchen. Crying followed; she ran to the bedroom, and found Jada unconscious on the floor, bleeding from her face.
Police then charged 36-year-old Chad Brooks, Sr., last weekend with second-degree murder as well as second-degree cruelty to children for allegedly leaving the gun unattended.
Brooks is currently in custody at the DeKalb County Jail.
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help Jada’s family pay for her funeral.
According to the GoFundMe page, Jada “was a beautiful, loving little girl” who loved Barbie dolls and painting.
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