Police Say Shooting Of Boy Was Accident

Fri., Dec. 5, 1997

From Staff And Wire Reports

The fatal shooting of a 4-year-old boy by his 6-year-old brother was an accident, police said Thursday.

Zachary T. Miller and his older brother were in the cargo area of their family’s Chevrolet Blazer when Zachary was shot in the chest, police Detective Sgt. Steve Rehaume said.

The bullet came from their father’s .22-caliber rifle, which was left unloaded in the back of the vehicle.

Rehaume said police don’t know which of the young boys loaded the weapon with the ammunition that had been sitting near the gun, but “physical evidence indicated that the 6-year-old was in possession of the firearm when it accidentally discharged.”

The boys’ mother, Schantelle Miller, told investigators Zachary appeared to be sleeping in the back of the vehicle when she, her 6-year-old son and her 2-year-old daughter left their home Tuesday to do errands in Longview and Kelso.

Zachary still seemed to be asleep when she returned and discovered him cold and unresponsive as she tried to wake him up.

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