14 DAY TRIAL // A 48-year-old woman has been killed in a shooting in Tennessee when a four-year-old boy playing with a loaded gun accidentally discharged the weapon.
Josephine G. Fanning has been the wife of Wilson County sheriff's deputy for a year, WSMV describes.
The shooting occurred at Deputy Daniel Fanning's home at the 6700 block of S.E. Tater Peeler Road in Lebanon, Wilson County.
First responders were called to the home on Saturday, April 6 during a gathering with family and friends. The deputy had exposed the firearm to show off its technical characteristics.
Huffington Post notes that several other weapons were displayed as part of the policeman's collection. The weapon that accidentally killed his wife is not his police issue gun, reports say. The make and model of the firearm has not been disclosed as of yet.
The child, who has been identified as the nephew of 51-year-old Fanning, took the weapon off a bed. He and Fanning's wife both entered the room where the showing was in place.
A spokesman for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation details that another relative was on the scene at the time of the accident.
The child only fired a round, but it proved to be fatal, TBI's Kristin Helm says. The Tennessean writes that Josephine Fanning was declared dead in instants.
“It's a sad, sad set of circumstances.
“Nobody is immune to this - nobody. It doesn't matter if you are a law enforcement officer. these things can happen in seconds,” Sheriff Robert Bryan comments.
“It would take a blind judge not to see how much he loved his wife,” the couple's neighbor Melvin Roberts adds.
Helm reports that an investigation is in place, mentioning that the TBI have filed no charges until now.
“(It) appears accidental at this time,’’ Helm states.