Mum's 'world falls apart' after accidentally shooting daughter, 13, dead

28 March 2024 , 11:30

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Dearria Radley, 13, died after her mum accidentally shot her with a semi-automatic pistol (Image: Red Radley/Facebook)

A mum who accidentally shot her 13-year-old daughter dead while looking for her keys in her bag has admitted her "world is falling apart."

DeAnn Radley was searching for her lost keys in her flat on Edgehill Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday evening. But as she reached into her handbag, her finger accidentally pulled the trigger of her unholstered. 40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, she told detectives.

Around 10pm, the bullet fired through her bag and hit her daughter, Dearria Radley. "I didn't know my gun was loaded in my purse and shot through my bag," DeAnn told local news outlet WSMV 4. "Then I saw the blood and oh God.."

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DeAnn broke down on Facebook saying her 'baby is gone' following the shooting (Red Radley/Facebook)

The 13-year-old was shot dead on Saturday evening while in her Nashville home (Red Radley/Facebook)

Soon after, the mum called 911 in a panic, police said. The teen was quickly taken to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital emergency room but sadly died from the gunshot wound.

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"My world is just falling apart," the devastated mother said. "I loved that little girl so much. It's a nightmare, its words can never describe the pain that I feel."

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said they are currently investigating the death of the 13-year-old, but no charges have been made. Now, instead of Dearria going back to J.T. Moore Middle School on Monday morning, DeAnn was left to plan her funeral.

"I want her to be remembered by that angel voice in those beautiful eyes. She's such a beautiful girl," DeAnn said, "This is something I'm not ready for. Please, my baby...I just want to hold my baby."

Dearria's grandmother, Irish Radley, also said she's struggling to accept Dearria's tragic death. "I'm just hoping she comes through the door and all of this is just a dream or she will call me, 'Granny, what you doing? ,'" the heartbroken gran told WKRN.

"I'll never get those phone calls again. I'll never get those texts, 'Granny, can I come down there? ' It's the small things I'm going to miss."

Now, mum DeAnn is begging for support to manage the costs of burying her little girl. "I am needing help for her funeral my 13-year old was accidentally shot and killed," she wrote on a GoFundMe which has raised £4,500 by noon on Wednesday - half of what she is hoping to raise. "I don't have insurance to bury her If anyone can help me during these painful times."

The mum also took to Facebook to share her heartbreak in a teary video saying that she "wouldn't wish this on anybody," and "my baby is gone." She added: "Thirteen years. Thirteen years. We've been through everything together and my baby is gone. I can't do it. I can't do it, man. My baby, my baby."

James Liddell