An Illinois father has been arrested after police say he accidentally shot and killed his teenage daughter while trying to kill a bird.
David A. Schultheis, 34, was charged on Sept. 2 with reckless discharge of a firearm in connection with the July death of his 14-year-old daughter, Emma Schultheis, according to a statement from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department. Another person, Karen A. Schwarze, 58, is also facing charges of concealing a homicide and obstruction of justice.
Authorities say that on July 21, David fired a handgun at a bird that had flown inside a brick building in Waterloo, Illinois. The bullet hit the bird, went through it, broke out a window, and struck Emma, who was standing outside.
The sheriff’s department said David only put his arm into the room, keeping his head outside the doorway to avoid ricochet, before firing the gun.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene and performed CPR on Emma before taking her to a hospital in the St. Louis area, where she was pronounced dead.
The sheriff’s department gave the case to the Monroe County State’s Attorney’s Office on Aug. 26. Formal charges were filed against David and Schwarze on Sept. 2. Officials did not say how Schwarze is connected to Emma.
According to the sheriff’s department, David later turned himself in at the Monroe County Jail. He was processed and released while waiting for his court date. Authorities also said Schwarze plans to surrender in the near future. It is not yet clear whether either of them has entered a plea or hired attorneys.
“There are no words that can adequately express the heartbreak and gravity of this tragic event,” the sheriff’s department said in its statement. “The death of a child under any circumstances is profoundly devastating. While this incident may have been preventable, our duty is to uncover and present the facts with integrity.”
