Marysville cop on paid leave after daughter shot to death

A Marysville police officer has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into the shooting death of his 7-year-old daughter.

Officer Derek Carlile, 30, has been with the Marysville Police Department for three years as a member of the patrol division. His daughter, Jenna Carlile, was shot by her brother on Saturday after the boy found his father’s gun in the glove compartment of the family van. She later died at Harborview Medical Center of a single gunshot wound to the torso, the county medical examiner announced Monday.

“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.”

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 police-issued weapon.

John Urquhart, a retired sergeant with the King County Sheriff’s Office, 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.”

Chief 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.

But cop or not, and regardless of how often you carry your weapon, Urquhart says every gun owner has the same responsibility.

“I think everybody should be held to the same standard, and that’s keeping your gun safe. 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.”