Two-year-old and Teen are Killed in Accidental Shootings

Two-year-old Rylin Burrell was shot and killed by a seven-year-old inside a family home in Great Falls, South Carolina. Rylin died at the hospital. “When we got inside the hospital, they took us to this little room and I instantly knew my baby was dead,” said his mother. Rylin died on the same day as his older sister’s fifth birthday. There is a continuing investigation to determine details about the shooting. “The investigation at this point is focused on how an unsecured firearm was accessed,” said the police chief. The seven-year-old has been placed in emergency protective custody of the department of social services. 

And in the hallway on the second floor of her grandmother’s home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 13-year-old Alaysia Smith was shot and killed. According to investigators, other teens were in the home with Alaysia, when one of them mishandled a gun that unintentionally fired. No one has been charged, and the gun has not been recovered.

Alaysia was a cheerleader for the football team and loved sports. Her grandfather said she couldn’t wait to grow up. “She was a little fashion model and she liked to dress up…She was an all-around good kid and a good student…” Alaysia attended a charter school since kindergarten, and in a statement from the school’s CEO, “…[s]he was a beautiful, vibrant person who we had the privilege to watch grow over many years. She will be terribly missed by our school community.”

Sources:

Anna King, Hank Lee “‘My son is dead’ | Family Grieves After 2-year-old SC Boy Killed by Gunfire,” witx.com (September 19, 2024).

Sherry Stone, “Teen Girl Fatally Shot in North Philly Was a Student at Wissahickon Charter Middle School,”phillytrib.com I(September 19, 2024).

Kerri Corrado, Jim McHugh, “Family and Friends of Alaysia Smith Lean on Each Other at Celebration of Life Balloon Release,” cbsnews.com (September 20, 2024).