A child accidentally shot her sister while their mom was in the other room. Now, a mother has been torn from her family and a father is trying to hold everything together.
The mother was arrested the night of the shooting before she could ever see her daughter in the hospital, and that's where she is now, waiting to see what the court will do with her.
"I'm trying not to break down, but I just want to be with my family so we can go through this together," said Shaletres Townsend, the victim's mother, from the Clark County Detention Center.
During the interview and her arraignment Monday, you can see Townsend's heart breaking as she wipes tears away from her eyes and looks up at the God she prays to every day.
"She ain't intend to do it, you know, but I love all my kids no matter what," said Townsend.
Townsend was home in the kitchen when her 7-year-old daughter shot her 3-year-old daughter.
"All I know is this girl is leaking out of her neck. She's leaking out of her back. All I can see is every time her heart beats there's blood coming out," said Sergio Johnson, the victim's godfather who tried to help the little victim after she was shot.
Johnson did everything he could to keep the toddler from leaving this world. Now, the victim is in the hospital, barely able to open her eyes while her father tries to keep everything from falling apart.
"For everyone to sit up there and talk bad about her mother... I hate them! I hate everybody... This is my baby right here. Her mother loves her!" said Richard Barnes, the father of the victim.
Both parents say the gun was locked away in their bedroom, holstered in a purse with the safety on, but that wasn't enough to stop this tragedy.
The pain runs deep for everyone in the family.
"Last time I seen her she was layin' there, and it's hard now I'm sitting in here and it's not fair," said Townsend.
The mother is facing four child abuse and neglect charges. Her first court appearance was Monday. It was going to be sooner, but she fainted before she could make it into the courtroom.
