Man Shoots, Kills 8-Year-Old Daughter While Teaching Her About Gun Safety

A Wisconsin man reportedly shot and killed his eight-year-old daughter while he was teaching her and his other children about “gun safety” on Saturday, Jan. 22.

Michael Anthony Huddleston, 47, has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide after he allegedly open fire on his 8-year-old daughter Tiana Huddleston while he was teaching her about gun safety. Huddleston, a resident of Milwaukee, was also charged with felony possession of a firearm by a felon, the Independent reported.

Tiana was reportedly shot in the chest at about 2:25 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 22, while she was inside her family's home with several other siblings.

"The suspect was handling a firearm that discharged," a statement from Milwaukee Police explained. "The gunfire subsequently struck an 8-year-old girl. The victim arrived at a local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries."

Huddleston reportedly told the detectives that he fired his gun inadvertently while he was trying to teach his children about gun safety. He claimed that he had checked whether the safety was on before showing the gun to the children and added that there were no bullets in the clip, People reported.

However, when Huddleston pulled the trigger, a bullet was fired from the gun and struck Tiana on her chest. Following the shooting, he drove his injured daughter to the hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

The hospital staff subsequently notified the police about the shooting. When the authorities interviewed Huddleston, he described the incident as a "mistake" and added that his daughter was “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Huddleston also admitted to drinking two pints of tequila prior to the incident and reportedly told the police officers to arrest him.

"I can't believe this [expletive] happened … I killed my own [expletive] daughter," Huddleston allegedly said when he heard of his daughter's death.

"You took a light out of this world," LaToya Singleton, Tiana's aunt, said, "We're dim, we're dark."

Singleton added that the gun should have been facing Huddleston instead of the child.

Several cases of children dying due to accidental shootings and gun-related crimes are reported in the U.S. every year.

If convicted of the charges against him, Huddleston faces up to 70 years in prison.