DA weighs charges in gun death of girl, 3

Police: Toddler shot by 5-year-old sibling

Residents of a Monroeville apartment complex on Saturday mourned the death of a 3-year-old girl who police said appeared to have been shot a day earlier by her 5-year-old sibling.

Monroeville police initially responded to the incident in the 100 block of Cambridge Square Apartments at 9:06 p.m. Friday. The victim, Braya Sanders, was pronounced dead at a hospital, according to the county medical examiner’s office, which has ruled the death a homicide.

Allegheny County Police said it appeared that Braya’s sibling accidentally shot her while handling an unsecured firearm inside the apartment. Authorities said the gun appeared to be legally owned by a parent, who was cooperating with the investigation.

A few neighbors grieving the sudden loss gathered in the apartment’s parking lots Saturday, con-soling each other. Two people who said they knew the family declined to be interviewed Saturday afternoon. A manager at the complex also said he was unable to comment.

Police said the case would be handed over to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office “for determination of culpability,” but it was not immediately clear what charges could be filed. A spokesman for the office said he didn’t want to speculate on charges at this point.

According to Giffords, a gun control advocacy group, Pennsylvania is not one of the 16 states with laws that impose criminal liability on people who negligently store firearms, where minors could or do gain access to them. Typically, such laws apply when a person “knows or reasonably should know” that a child is likely to gain access to the firearm.

Authorities also said they notified the Allegheny County Children, Youth and Families agency about the death.