Ohio Uncle Indicted After Unsecured Gun Leads to Fatal Shooting of 11-Year-Old Girl

An Ohio man has been indicted in connection with the accidental shooting death of his 11-year-old niece, just days after his teenage son was charged in the case.

Matthew Seymour, 33, was arrested on Dec. 19 and faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and endangering children in the death of Amya Frazier, according to the Columbus Division of Police. Amya was shot inside a home in the 200 block of South Wheatland Avenue on Dec. 5 and died five days later.

Amya was shot by her 14-year-old cousin — Seymour’s son — who has been charged in Franklin County Juvenile Court with a delinquency charge of reckless homicide, The Columbus Dispatch and ABC6 reported. The teen has not been identified because he has not been charged as an adult, the outlets noted.

In court, Seymour asked for leniency for his son, according to ABC6.

Seymour previously told the Dispatch that earlier on the day of the shooting, he removed a handgun from a lockbox after his dogs reacted to something outside. He said he then left the gun on top of a mini fridge instead of putting it back into secure storage, the newspaper reported.

Seymour told the Dispatch he was not home when the shooting happened and said another adult was in the house and showering when his son accessed the gun and fired it. Amya was taken to the hospital after the shooting and later died.

Police said she had been shot in the head, per ABC6 and WTTE.

In the days after Amya died, prosecutors confirmed that only the juvenile charge had been filed at that point, while noting that additional charges could still follow as the investigation continued, ABC6 reported.

Seymour’s indictment was announced about two weeks later.

He told the Dispatch that he had not spoken with Amya’s mother since the shooting and said he views what happened as a tragic accident.

Amya was a fifth-grade student at Westgate Elementary School and one of five sisters, her family told the Dispatch. Her grandmother said she loved butterflies, soccer, and making videos, and had dreams of becoming both a doctor and a professional soccer player.