A Tennessee mother who told police she accidentally shot her 13-year-old daughter Saturday night is now begging for donations to pay for the victim’s funeral.
De’Ann Radley set up a fundraiser asking for $15,000 to cover the cost of her daughter, Dearria’s, funeral expenses. The teenager was killed by a single gunshot before 10 p.m., according to a press release by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. De’Ann, her mother, reported to law enforcement that she accidentally discharged her pistol while rummaging through her purse to find her keys.
Mom begs for cash after accidentally shooting, killing daughter while fishing for keys in purse https://t.co/VNCrWLP7Tr pic.twitter.com/eD0pYz3QUX
— New York Post (@nypost) March 25, 2024
“Dearria’s mother told detectives that her unholstered .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol was in her purse with other items. She said it went off as she was attempting to retrieve her keys from the purse,” police said in the press release.
The victim was immediately taken to Vanderbilt’s Pediatric Emergency room, where she died, police said. Radley commemorated her deceased daughter in several social media posts. (RELATED: Two Children, 7 And 12, Allegedly Stab Elderly Woman, Taken Into Custody)
“HUG YOUR BABIES TIGHT BC I LOST MINE, WORDS CAN’T DESCRIBE THIS PAIN,” Radley wrote on Facebook in all capital letters.
“I WOULDN’T WISH THIS PAIN ON ANYONE MY HEART IS IN A MILLION PIECES,” the mourning mother continued.
“DEARRIA I NEED YOU I CAN’T DO THIS. BUG I LOVE YOU SO SO MUCH,” she added.
The victim’s mother has not yet been charged with a crime, police said. The department’s Youth Services Division is conducting an investigation into the incident.