A girl's eviction shooting death is under investigation after the 12-year-old was struck by a bullet as officials attempted to remove her family from their home in Duncannon, Pennsylvania, Monday.
Constable Clarke Steele, 46, went to the home of Donald Meyer at Pfautz Rental apartments in Penn Township to follow up on an
eviction order Monday, PennLive.com reported. When he got there, he claims Meyer pointed a rifle at his chest and so he fired a round and hit the 57-year-old man in the arm.
But the bullet went through Meyer's arm and struck his young daughter, Ciara, who was standing behind her dad. She died at the scene.
"It was absolutely not intentional that the girl was shot," Bill Stoeffler, a Dauphin County constable and spokesman for the capital area constables' association, told PennLive.com. "The constable fired one round when he faced an immediate threat from which he could not retreat safely — he had no other force options."
Meyer, who was flown to Penn State Hershey, has been charged with aggravated and simple assault, terroristic threats, and
reckless endangerment, according to PennLive.
Perry County District Attorney Andrew Bender said it's not yet clear whether Steele will face any charges.
"The investigation is still ongoing," he told the news website. "Everything is going to be reviewed. There will be an investigation in conjunction with state police at Newport."
According to court documents obtained by PennLive.com, Donald and Sherry Meyer owed $1,780.85 in back rent. An order of possession was served Dec. 30.
One neighbor told WHTM-TV that Ciara Meyer and her daughter were playmates.
"Very kind, sweet kid," the neighbor said of the victim. "Here's a little girl that doesn't even have a chance to grow up and live her life, and all because of this senseless act. It's horrible, absolutely heartbreaking."
A Meyer family member posted a message on Facebook Monday.
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