A 23-year-old man accidentally shoots and kills a pregnant teen and her unborn baby while playing with a gun, police investigators say. Chad Blackard, who shot 17-year-old Karrington Smith and her unborn baby, faces several charges, including negligent homicide, three-degree feticide, and illegal use of weapons. Smith was 25 weeks pregnant. Blackard was booked at the Easton Baton Rouge Parish Prison, Action News 5 reports.
Playing with a handgun
Investigation revealed that Smith was hit by a bullet while inside a car. Blackard, Smith, and other friends drove to Baton Rouge from Pineville. Blackard was seated behind Smith on the passenger side when he pulled out the gun and hung it on the passenger seat. Blackard then bragged how his gun "outperforms" a firearm owned by another passenger.
Blackard accidentally squeezed the trigger while readjusting the gun, and it fired. The bullet went through the passenger's seat and hit Smith in the back.
According to East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office (EBRSO), the driver pulled into the parking lot of a local business establishment and called for responders. The authorities took Smith to a local hospital. While attending to Smith, the medical staff realized that she was 25 weeks pregnant. Smith and her baby died at the hospital. Blackard admitted that it was an accident.
The Advocate cited that before she died, Smith initially told the deputies that she accidentally fired the gun while in her purse. However, EBRSO said authorities found out that Blackard was responsible upon further investigation.
Second accidental gunfire in a week
The incident is the second accidental gunfire incident this week. On Saturday, a woman was also killed inside a car in Chicago after her three-year-old son accidentally fired a gun while the family was in their vehicle.
The shooting happened around 8:30 in the evening. The father was in the driver's seat, and the mother was in the passenger seat. The three-year-old boy was in the back. The boy managed to find the weapon and began playing with it. He pointed the gun and eventually fired a shot.
The bullet struck the child's mom, 22-year-old Daejah Bennett. The father took her to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she later died.
An average of 492 people in the U.S. unintentionally die from a gun every year. This year, there have been unintentional shootings by more than 21 children. Nine of which resulted in death.
Aftermath advises that it is necessary to keep the gun locked up safely to prevent accidental firing. Holding the weapon out of the hands of people who are not trained to operate it is the best way to prevent accidental gun deaths.
Everyone should also handle a gun like it can cause harm. This would mean never pointing a gun at a person and keeping fingers off the trigger.
