A 43-year-old Grandview woman has been charged in connection with the shooting Monday night of her 4-year-old granddaughter, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced Tuesday.
Taprill R. Barnett faces one count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, a felony.
According to court records, Barnett’s daughter brought the victim, referenced in filings only as SH, to visit Barnett. Barnett told police that she was cleaning her gun but slid the gun under the couch when the victim and another child came into the room because she thought that would prevent the victim from getting the gun. Barnett stated that she left the room and heard a “pop,” and upon returning found the victim had been shot in the leg.
SH suffered injuries to the mid-upper left thigh and what appeared to be burn marks encircling the wound, according to a probable cause staement.
“We are fortunate today that another child was not killed due to the irresponsibility of an adult. As gun owners, we have the simple responsibility to ensure that these deadly weapons are safely stored,” Peters Baker said. She added, “This isn’t hard, but it is absolutely life and death.”
Prosecutors have requested a bond of $30,000 and have asked for a special condition of any bond to include that the victim shall have no unsupervised contact with children under 17 years old.
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