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After the tragic shooting death of an officer's 7-year-old daughter, shot by one of their siblings with her father's gun, authorities are reminding every gun owner it's their responsibility to keep their guns safe. (AP Photo/file)

Death of officer's child a warning to keep guns safe

BY Brandi Kruse  on March 13, 2012 @ 5:35 am (Updated: 6:14 pm - 3/14/12 )

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The tragic shooting death of an officer's 7-year-old daughter, shot by one of her siblings with her father's gun, is a painful reminder of the importance of gun safety.

"Accidents happen, mistakes happen, that's human nature. It doesn't matter if you're a police officer or not, sometimes guns are going to fall into the wrong hands, and when that happens, it's quite likely there will be a tragedy," said John Urquhart, a retired sergeant with the King County Sheriff's Office.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner identified the girl Monday as Jenna Carlile and her cause of death as a single gunshot wound to the torso. She was shot Saturday by a sibling who found a loaded gun in the family's van as it was parked near the Stanwood City Hall.

Police identified her father as Officer Derek Carlile, 30, of Camano Island. Police Cmdr. Robb Lamoureux said Carlile has been with the department since 2009.

"I can tell you as a police chief, this is one of the most difficult things I have ever been a part of," Marysville Police Chief Rick Smith told reporters Monday. "That's one thing that you don't ever want to see, is one of your officer's children get hurt, and certainly it falls along the same lines as an officer being hurt or killed or a family member."

Smith said he was at the hospital with Carlile while his daughter was in surgery.

"It was extremely difficult, extremely difficult for him," Smith said. "My heart goes out to him, and his family. It is tragic."

Carlile has been placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation.

Smith would not comment on the ongoing investigation into the incident, which is being conducted by the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office. Investigators have not said whether the gun was Officer Carlile's personal firearm or his police-issued weapon.

Urquhart said officers are typically not required to carry their service weapon while off duty.

"That's kind of a myth, most departments have gotten away from that," Urquhart said. "It's pretty much up to the officer how often he takes that gun with him when he is off duty."

Smith would not comment on the department's specific policies regarding firearms, or how they should be secured. As of Monday evening, the department had not revoked Officer Carlile's service weapon.

Urquhart said cop or not, every gun owner is responsible to keep their weapon out of the wrong hands.

"I think everybody should be held to the same standard, and that's keeping your gun safe."

A benevolent fund has been set up to assist with medical bills and burial costs in the name of Jenna Carlile has been established at Opus Bank and can be deposited at any branch, or can be mailed to: Opus Bank, Jenna Carlile Fund, 815 State Ave., Marysville, WA 98270.

Brandi Kruse, KIRO Radio Reporter
Brandi Kruse is a reporter for KIRO Radio who is as spontaneous and adventurous in her free time as she is on the job. Brandi arrived at KIRO Radio in March 2011 and has already collected three regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her reporting.
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Comments (35)


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  • SickofSeattleite wrote...
    How old was the sibling that shot the 7 year old daughter?
    March 13, 2012 5:54 am
    How did the sibling get the gun? Why is this officer not under the same relentless pressure of a media swamped investigation like everyone else?
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  • happy happy joy joy wrote...
    This is sad...
    March 13, 2012 6:32 am
    This is a sad situation, however this officer left this gun in their vehicle (car/truck/van). I do not recall what vehicle type it was but he left it in his vehicle. If the gun had been secured as EVERY responsible gun owner knows then the chances of a child getting that gun is next to nil. This is not an attack on this officer as I feel for him and his family, this is a tragic accident for him and his family and my thoughts are with them. However, politicians love to never let a tragedy go to waste. I can foresee someone in Olympia already waking up this morning like a child on Christmas thinking about how they can use this situation as a way to restrict and or eliminate the rights of others. This tragedy should be a reminder to all gun owners that the one time you do not act as a responsible gun owner, is the time you will regret it for the rest of your life.
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  • Paul Kersey wrote...
    This is a terrible story...but if it is really meant to be a warning
    March 13, 2012 6:35 am
    and a learning experience for new gun owners, as the headline suggests, then it should include information that could be useful. There is no useful information in this article.

    What type of gun was it and what condition was it stored? A semi-auto, as in the picture, has several conditions of readiness...

    Condition Four: Chamber empty, no magazine, hammer down....Condition Three: Chamber empty, full magazine in place, hammer down....Condition Two: A round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer down.....Condition One: A round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer cocked, safety on..... Condition Zero: A round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer cocked, safety off.

    A gun should never be stored where it is assessable to children, but had it at least been stored in condition 4 or 3, this would not have happened.

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  • FormerMarineSgt wrote...
    The problem with warnings is that too many people ignore them
    March 13, 2012 9:34 am
    Paul Kersey - you're right in that this story should serve as a warning and that guns should ALWAYS be inaccessable to children unless they are in a supervised and controlled situation. Training is NOT sufficient because training is often ignored - look at this ADULT cop for a perfect example. I am sure he was trained to NEVER leave it where a child could get to it.....
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  • Drool wrote...
    Kersey
    March 13, 2012 10:02 am
    Cute but hardly informative. That applies to something akin to an M1911. Not all firearms are created equal. My carry .45 has no condition one by design.
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  • Paul Kersey wrote...
    Drool,
    March 13, 2012 10:11 am
    at least I provided more information than is in the article, which is falsely labeled as a warning...and you didn't provide any information at all...for such a know-it-all, that is disappointing.

    So, is yours a DAO? If you have one in the chamber, that is considered condition one for a DAO. Educate us with your vast knowledge oh windbag.

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  • Drool wrote...
    Not DAO
    March 13, 2012 12:33 pm
    It is "real" double action for lack of a better term. The safety drops the hammer if cocked. I also have an M1911 among others.

    I did not provide more information as I cannot cover everything from an M1911 to a squeeze cocking HK P7 like you apparently did in your post.

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  • JeanPaul wrote...
    Simple Truth is "negligence" caused child's death
    March 13, 2012 2:30 pm
    The parent is negligent and should suffer consequences: The difference between “accidental” and “negligent” goes far beyond just semantics. “Accident” refers to an event that occurred despite the use of proper care and skill. Accidents are not anyone’s fault. “Negligence” refers to a failure to exercise the proper care and skill that a reasonable person would have exercised. Negligence is the fault of a person. In this case, it seems that the parents of at least one child failed to teach their child the basics of gun safety. This error combined with the failure of another person to store their gun in a safe and responsible fashion. The result was the loss of a child’s life. Jeanpaulreusser@hotmail.com
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  • SeattleJoe wrote...
    Mr Kersey said its a bad article
    March 13, 2012 2:14 pm
    and I couldn't agree more. Interestingly on the home page the link says to keep guns locked away but on the comments page it says to keep guns safe. They are not the same. Locked away implies safe but safe does not have to include locking them away. A disabled gun becomes no more than a club and is safe. A gun that has a trigger lock is not locked away, it is in effect disabled. Mr Kersey lists standard gun conditions and that is a good start to what article leaves out, at least in concept since I don't expect an article to be a gun handling and safety feature. Still I'm a little tired of half articles these days.
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  • froggy wrote...
    You don't need to beat him up...
    March 13, 2012 7:22 am
    because you can bet he's doing it to himself already. The guy signed up to help, protect, and serve the public. And being hired, he qualified where 97 out of 100 couldn't. Despite whatever legal consequences there will be, he's already serving time in his head. The legal system won't punish him as much as he's going to punish himself.
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  • Seattle Dad wrote...
    The gun owner is responsible....
    March 13, 2012 7:34 am
    but let's dial down the rhetoric. The officer screwed up and has paid for it with the life of his child. He's no doubt devastated and blames himself. His life has been tragically transformed forever. No law will fix that. No amount of media blaming him or public pressure will fix anything. Prayers for his family and his dead child is all anyone can do.
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  • FormerMarineSgt wrote...
    Sorry Seattle Dad and froggy - I don't agree.
    March 13, 2012 9:41 am
    I'm very sorry that this tragedy happened to this family. I know that both parents will forever hate themselves for creating the conditions that allowed this to happen. However: We keep being told that the self-recriminations and the devestation is enough. We keep being told that these situations are teaching opportunities to have gun owners learn to not leave their own guns insecure. YET IT KEEPS HAPPENING. People are NOT learning from these events. People continue to ignore and flaunt gun safety rules and children keep dying. We absolutely MUST make leaving unsecured and unsupervised guns laying around so painful to the gun owners that they are not willing to continue to leave them in a manner that a child can get to them and cause a tragedy. We MUST criminally penalize those who choose to leave thier guns insecure when it results in someone being harmed, injured or killed. I am a gun owner and respect the 2nd amendment, but damm it - I'm tired of people leaving thier guns laying around and kids being killed because of thier failure to be properly responsible. Make it a significant criminal offense and people WILL stop doing this.
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  • JeanPaul wrote...
    There ARE consequences when parental negligence is underway!
    March 13, 2012 2:33 pm
    FEEL FOR THE DEAD CHILD INSTEAD! The parent is negligent and should suffer consequences: The difference between “accidental” and “negligent” goes far beyond just semantics. “Accident” refers to an event that occurred despite the use of proper care and skill. Accidents are not anyone’s fault. “Negligence” refers to a failure to exercise the proper care and skill that a reasonable person would have exercised. Negligence is the fault of a person. In this case, it seems that the parents of at least one child failed to teach their child the basics of gun safety. This error combined with the failure of another person to store their gun in a safe and responsible fashion. The result was the loss of a child’s life. BASICS! "No LOADED firearms are to "enter" or "exit" the building: Range Safety. The standards are HIGHER IN the personal life of anyone with CHILDREN!!! OBVIOUSLY: Before abandoning a weapon either in a 'glove-box' or stowing a weapon anyplace the WEAPON is to be emptied of ammunition! Basic Pistol Safety: 101! Firearms related DEATHS; injuries or property damage are due to negligent discharge. Jeanpaulreusser@hotmail.com
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  • vashonmatt wrote...
    Prayer is always good for people that don't want to accomplish anything.
    March 13, 2012 4:26 pm
    This was gross negligence. This could have been prevented. I'm not anti-gun. I own guns, and when my son was growing up, they were ALWAYS locked in the safe. That was the first thing I did after getting off work, was to lock my carry pistol up. If the weapon was not on my person, it was secured. That's called being a responsible gun owner. Please try to argue this.. Bad move. Dead kid. He should be brought up on charges, and let the court work it out.
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  • Lessmith50 wrote...
    What a horrible event
    March 13, 2012 7:43 am
    This is no accident PERIOD! What blows me away is that i am a hunter and own at least 20 different shotguns and rifles. I have only one hand gun and that is a collectors item that has never been fired nor will be fired. Of all the guns that i own every one except my 12 gauge shotgun is locked in a safe. That gun is unloaded and hidden in the closet. The ammo is well hidden out and out of reach.

    I cannot fathom EVER chambering a round unless i am going to fire the weapon. Why in the world does a person carry a loaded weapon around children that think any gun is a toy. That is mind blowing to me. Especially left in a car. What are you doing leaving a 7 and younger child alone in a car? Maybe i read the story wrong but that is what i got out of it.

    of all the people in the world that should know about the ramifications of a loaded unsecured gun he is the one. NO this was no accident. Accidents cannot be prevented this one could have been very easily. What a terrible way to learn by losing your child to irresponsiblity. Your child loses their life over you boneheadedness.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • JeanPaul wrote...
    FANTASTIC! SOMEONE WITH COMMON SENSE AND KNOWLEDGE OF NEGLIGENCE!
    March 13, 2012 2:40 pm
    EXCELLENTLY WRITTEN! AT NO TIME should a weapon be stowed 'loaded' when children are there, AND/OR stowed at all loaded inside a vehicle! SHOULD BE UNLOADED and inside the TRUNK of the vehicle, and/or in all SUV's there are mini-compartments in the rear of the vehicle (an unloaded weapon with bullets not near the weapon when stowed)!! Never in an UNLOCKED glove-box when children are there! “Negligence” refers to a failure to exercise the proper care and skill that a reasonable person would have exercised. Negligence is the fault of a person. Jeanpaulreusser@hotmail.com
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • froggy wrote...
    Really...
    March 13, 2012 7:47 am
    "Are you serious", with all the cop hater rhetoric being written, don't you think someone has to point out the obvious. People that write all the mean things just show themselves to be morons with no compassion. So yes, I will be pointedly obvious.
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  • FormerMarineSgt wrote...
    froggy - you're really going overboard
    March 13, 2012 9:44 am
    I haven't seen a single bit of cop hater rhetoric here. I see a lot of 'What the F was this idiot (who happens to be a cop) thinking??'. I also see some very justified 'We hold cops to a higher standard AND they are trained to know better - so why was he that stupid???'. That's not hate - that's asking valid questions.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • JeanPaul wrote...
    IN THIS CASE; the cop is merely being held to basic standards
    March 13, 2012 2:51 pm
    AND the cop is OBVIOUSLY negligent and incapable of basic standards (let alone higher standards). Both parents are to blame for this sort of parental negligence "equally." The difference between “accidental” and “negligent” goes far beyond just semantics. “Accident” refers to an event that occurred despite the use of proper care and skill. Accidents are not anyone’s fault. “Negligence” refers to a failure to exercise the proper care and skill that a reasonable person would have exercised.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • JeanPaul wrote...
    "froggy?" The Law is clear.
    March 13, 2012 2:47 pm
    A Police Officer AND/OR anyone in America who has a weapon is required to abide by safety LAWS. "pure and simple." A Police Officer is not exempt from obeying the law--just because he does other police work on the job well. Faulty reasoning. I mean, if the POLICE arrest parents for other forms of negligence throughout America, it is ONLY COMMON SENSE, to hold 'all people' responsible for negligence and weapons safety violations that lead to the DEATH of a child. Who cares about 'emotions' of the person negligent! By your faulty logic, police are morons if they arrest parents for other forms of negligence leading to the DEATH of their children. By your logic police are citizen haters if they arrest parents for negligence leading to the death of their children. Try taking a college class in "formal logic" after you finish a class on legal ethics, criminal justice 101 and study a little bit about WEAPONS SAFETY LAWS. Really, Froggy...slimy logic or what... Jeanpaulreusser@hotmail.com
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  • froggy wrote...
    I agree with you...
    March 14, 2012 6:29 pm
    about responsibility and that the persons that allowed this to happen need to be held accountable. When these types of things happen to law enforcement personnel, the legal ramifications are many faceted. They may face criminal charges and then employee sanctions. The investigations take longer since there are employee contracted rights that have to be dealt with by the employer so that if the employee is terminated, there is no recourse. Oh, yes, I do believe I have a pretty good grasp of weapons safety laws. It is interesting to see how people interpret them.
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  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    Here is the drill
    March 13, 2012 7:49 am
    Yes you want to have a sidearm loaded yes you want it available when needed (example a pit bull attacking a old lady) But you have to keep the sidearm "on you" safely on your belt in a holster.. other wise it has to be in a safe.
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  • 62moons62 wrote...
    RCW 9.41.050 Carrying firearms.
    March 13, 2012 8:33 am
    ...(2)(a) A person shall not carry or place a loaded pistol in any vehicle unless the person has a license to carry a concealed pistol and: (i) The pistol is on the licensee's person, (ii) the licensee is within the vehicle at all times that the pistol is there, or (iii) the licensee is away from the vehicle and the pistol is locked within the vehicle and concealed from view from outside the vehicle.....
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  • JeanPaul wrote...
    DO also not forget; it must be LOCKED either inside the trunk
    March 13, 2012 2:57 pm
    Locked (if loaded) inside a lockbox. AND WHERE CHILDREN exist, can NEVER BE LOADED and stowed in an unlocked stow. MUST BE UNLOADED whenever insecurely-stowed if the weapon is abandoned by the adult wherever children....
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  • froggy wrote...
    I'm not much for innuendo.
    March 13, 2012 11:52 am
    So when you want to insult, correct, or just put me down, please do it in plain English. For the record, I am not saying the incident doesn't need investigating or responsibility being assessed. It does. Clearly. However, to call the guy names and say other mean things, just doesn't improve the situation.
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  • JeanPaul wrote...
    How old are you "froggy" ???
    March 13, 2012 3:11 pm
    Micromanaging the method people use to speak and to YOUR standards is absolutely irrelevant to the topic! IF YOU REACH, real hard mentally--you might be able to communicate with "substance" about the actual topic! Ever heard of ABUSIVE AD HOMINEM? You do it well: When someone is losing an argument or has no contribution of substance to present, he or she engages in Abusive Ad Hominem when they fall-back on the personal attack game. In this case you complain about method of speech "mainly:" to quote you-- "when you insult, correct, or just put me down, call the guy names, say other mean things...bla bla. bla...
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