MODESTO, Calif. – A Northern California father is now behind bars following the shooting of his 3-year-old daughter.
Investigators say he and the child’s mother lied to them about what really happened to the girl, claiming she was shot in the foot by a drive-by shooter, according to KTXL. Police say the toddler was able to get hold of her father’s gun and shoot herself.
“What we’re worried about is the children, the 3-year-old – they have two children,” neighbor Ed Olsen said.
While on the way to the hospital Sunday night, the parents’ SUV broke down and first responders took over.
“The officers discovered inconsistencies in the stories,” Modesto Police spokeswoman Sharon Bear said. “It appears to us that the child possibly got the gun and it accidentally went off and shot them in the foot.”
Now, the girl’s parents, Mitchell Digiore and Brittany Powell, face child endangerment charges. Digiore is also in trouble for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
“It’s distressing. I’m not opposed to gun ownership, absolutely not,” neighbor Tracy Hiller said. “But it has to be with responsibility.”
Neighbors in the Modesto neighborhood who are familiar with the family and their troubles say what matters now is the parents do right by their kids.
“Everything has a past and I just hope that the future is better,” Olsen said.