A woman in Rockwood, Tenn., is under arrest for the shooting and killing of a 4-year-old girl on Sunday while demonstrating gun safety, according to authorities.
The incident occurred “at a home” in the 100 block of Airport Road, the statement said. TBI agents joined the investigation at the request of Russell Johnson, the 9th Judicial District Attorney General, the statement added.
Upon investigation, authorities concluded that Runions “caused the injuries that led to the girl’s death,” continued the TBI, noting that Runions was being held on a $1.5 million bond at Roane County Jail.
According to their statements, Runions punished the two children for not waking up the adults and eating food that belonged to her girlfriend, the outlet reported. They told police that she then hit both of them with a sandal and made them stand in different corners of the bedroom where the adults slept, according to 10 News.
Breanna Runions mugshot.Roane County Sheriffs Office
Roane County Sheriffs Office
Officials said that Runions’ girlfriend was present in the room but did not see the shooting because she was looking away, the outlet continued. The bullet also hit a glass bottle and caused fragments to fly at the other child, it added.
Shortly afterward, Runions and her girlfriend rushed to meet EMS at a Walmart parking lot. Gunter was then transported to Roane Medical Center where she was pronounced dead, Roane County Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Boduch toldRoane County News.
Evangeline Gunter smiling.GoFundMe
GoFundMe
The girl’s biological mother, Josie Gunter, told 10 News that the court had ordered her daughter to stay at the house prior to the shooting.
“I feel like it’s my fault that I let her be there,” she told the outlet. “I should have been more attentive. I wish I could have been a better mother for her, to pay attention. But it was a court decision in everything that we had done this for and this is what happens. Her hugs were so full of life and love. That’s the one thing I’m gonna miss the most, is her hugs and her smile.”
In a statement to PEOPLE, Josie Gunter said: “She was always a happy child, even if you treated her wrong, she would still walk up to you and say I love you. Her hugs were so warm because her hands in her arms and legs were so small she used everything in her power to let you know she loves you. she loved horses. She wanted to be a cheerleader, she was always bright and bubbly. Even when she was feeling blue she made sure other people were smiling.”
“Don’t have your guns out,” Adam Gunter, the girl’s biological father, added. “You’re supposed to be gun-smart. Don’t have the gun out.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories
A service for Gunter will be held on Sept. 5, on would have been her fifth birthday. In aFacebookpost, her mom wrote “all that has known her, that loved her, knew her in some small way you are all more than welcome to come show your condolences.”
The Rockwood Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
A GoFundMe pagehas been created in Evangeline’s honor.
source: people.com
