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Man charged in 13-year-old sister's shooting death
Jay-Veon McKinney, 23, was charged with shooting and killing his 13-year-old sister, Aymira Thomas. According to the prosecutor's office, McKinney was playing with two guns an hour before the shooting and was unsafely handling one when it went off while he was near his younger sister.
CANTON, Mich. (FOX 2) - The brother of a 13-year-old girl was accused of playing with guns and shooting and killing his sister on Tuesday.
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Jay-Veon McKinney, 23, was charged with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly shooting and killing his 13-year-old sister, Aymira Thomas. His charges are punishable by up to 15 years in prison, and other felony firearm charges.
According to the prosecutor's office, McKinney was playing with two guns an hour before the shooting and was unsafely handling one when it went off while he was near his younger sister.
The gun fired, and a bullet hit Thomas, killing the young girl.
According to police, the brother's actions were found in a video taken 45 minutes prior to the shooting.
"The video shows him in possession of both firearms and I'd call it careless playing with the firearms, reenacting, anyway you’d like to categorize it," Canton Police Deputy Chief Joseph Bialy. "But it’s definitely careless behavior which we believe led to about a half hour later the death of his sister."
Family Perspective:
Sharon Grier is an attorney representing the family and says this was an accident. The family is still sticking together despite the tragedy. Grier told FOX 2 that McKinny and Aymira were best friends, and he acted much younger than his age.
"It’s still a family. It’s a tragedy that’s occurred with this family," Grier said. "But there’s still love and concern for him, and they know they’ve lost someone special to them, but there’s nothing they can do to bring her back."
What's next:
McKinney was given a $500,000 personal bond.
That means he is out but under very strict conditions. He does have a GPS tether and is under home confinement.
The Source: Information for this story came from Canton police, the family of Aymira Thomas and a police source.
Canton suspect in shooting that killed 13-year-old sister charged, gets $500K personal bond
Canton police have not said what led to the shooting of Aymira Thomas, but more details are expected at the arraignment, scheduled to happen at around 10 a.m.