Mistrial for Wash. officer in daughter’s death
Nov 14, 2012, 1:31 AM
EVERETT, Wash. (AP) – A mistrial has been declared in the case of a police officer in Washington state who was charged with manslaughter after his 3-year-old son shot and killed one of the officer’s other children after finding a gun in the family van.
Derek Carlile is accused of leaving a loaded .38-caliber revolver in a cubbyhole in the van, then getting out and leaving his four young children inside. Investigators say the 3-year-old grabbed the gun and fatally shot his 7-year-old sister.
On Tuesday, the jury was declared hung.
Prosecutor Lisa Paul says, “No reasonable person would leave a loaded, unsecured gun in a van with four children.”
Defense lawyer David Allen told the jury that the shooting was a tragic mistake.
Carlile will be retried in January.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)