Ohio Honor Student, 15, Killed in Apartment Shooting, and Teen Suspect Claimed He Was Cleaning Gun

A 15-year-old Ohio honor student was killed in an apartment shooting over the weekend, and an 18-year-old suspect has been charged with reckless homicide in connection with her death.

Symini Rai Moore died Jan. 23 after she was shot inside an apartment in Northwood, Ohio, according to WTVG, The Toledo Blade and WTOL. Jakob Heintzelman, 18, of Northwood, was arrested and charged in the case, police confirmed to WTVG and The Toledo Blade.

Officers responded to the apartment late that evening and found Moore suffering from a gunshot wound, WTVG and WTOL reported. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lake Township Police Chief Mark Hummer told WTVG that four people were inside the apartment at the time: Moore, Heintzelman, Heintzelman’s girlfriend and another male. Hummer said Heintzelman claimed he was cleaning his gun when it discharged.

Moore attended Woodmore High School, where she was an honor-roll student. She was involved in multiple activities, including cheerleading, basketball, track, volleyball, wrestling, Future Farmers of America and choir, according to a GoFundMe created to help her family with funeral and memorial expenses. The fundraiser also says she worked at Granny’s Kitchen, a family-owned restaurant in Woodville.

“If you ever met Symini Rai Moore, you remember her smile. It was the kind that lit up a room instantly—the kind that made people feel seen, welcomed, and cared for without her ever having to say a word,” the GoFundMe page reads. “At just 15 years old, Symini carried a kindness and compassion far beyond her years.”

Moore’s death has shaken Woodville, the Sandusky County community where she went to school and where her family operates Granny’s Kitchen, The Toledo Blade reported.

“The town is shaken. Woodville is a small town, and it is not every day that things like this happen. It’s tragic,” Christy Donnell, Moore’s former preschool teacher, told The Toledo Blade.

Donnell, who taught Moore when she was 4 years old at Little Wonders Child Care in Northwood, described her as gentle and protective of her younger brother.

“She was a good kid. Very sweet, very kind,” Donnell said. “When her younger brother Vincent was there she always looked out for him. She was just a very well-mannered, wonderful little girl.”

Online jail records show Heintzelman is being held on a reckless homicide charge with bond listed at $85,000. WBNS reported that he was arraigned Monday, when a judge set his bond at $75,000 and ordered electronic monitoring if he is released.

The GoFundMe page says Moore dreamed of becoming an OB nurse and was eagerly counting down the days until she could get her driver’s permit. She is survived by her mother, Brittany Taylor; sisters Red “Lorealee” and Charlotte; brothers Vincent and Emmanuel; and extended family members. Her father, Jay Moore, preceded her in death.

As of Jan. 26, more than $20,000 had been raised in two days to support Moore’s family.