Marysville cop fired in wake of daughter’s deadly shooting

A Marysville police officer has been fired for leaving his gun and young children in the car where his son accidentally shot his daughter last year.

Officer Derek Carlile, 31, was charged with second-degree manslaughter for the March 10, 2012 shooting death of his 7-year-old daughter Jenna.

Carlile left his off-duty weapon in a cup holder with his four young children in the car while he and his wife stopped at a friend’s antique shop in Stanwood.

Moments later, their 3-year-old son, Steele, climbed out of his booster seat, grabbed the gun and fatally shot his sister.

A Snohomish County judge declared a mistrial after a jury could not reach a verdict. Prosecutors decided not to retry the case.

The City of Marysville released a brief statement Monday announcing the firing:

“As a result of the findings of a Police Department internal affairs investigation, Derek Carlile’s employment with the City of Marysville has been terminated, effective immediately.

Because the nature of this release regards a personnel matter, no further comment by the City of Marysville will be made.”

A grieving Carlile and his wife both wept openly throughout the trial, and his attorney David Allen called it a “momentary lapse” in judgment, not criminal negligence. He said Carlile was obsessed with gun safety and carried his own weapon during off-duty hours to protect the public.

Allen said Carlile accepts responsibility for what he termed a “terrible accident,” not a crime.

Carlile had been on paid administrative leave since the shooting.