DETROIT (WXYZ) — A Detroit woman has been charged in connection to the shooting death of her 8-year-old daughter.
Erica Sade Graham, 31, of Detroit, has been charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree child abuse and three counts of felony firearm.
"Obviously, the charges here are serious resulting from another very, very tragic situation where loaded firearms are left within the reach of children and now Miss.Graham has lost one of her children to a gunshot wound," the judge said.
Police say on Sept. 13 at approximately 11:52 a.m., a 10-year-old found an unsecured handgun in a home in the 8840 block of Heyden Street.
After finding the weapon, the child fired it, striking 8-year-old Asianey Grahmn. She was taken to a local fire house and a local hospital, where she was pronounced deceased upon arrival.
“How many children have to die because of an unsecured weapon? Why is it so hard to secure a gun when you know that children either live or visit your home frequently? Why are the deaths of these children acceptable because surely if preventing these deaths was a priority, the political will to fix this would be at an all-time high,” said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, who issued the charges.
Graham was arraigned Thursday afternoon in 36th District Court. At the hearing, Graham was emotionally distraught.
The judge allowed her to return home with a GPS tether after posting a personal bond of $150,000.
Graham's next court appearances are scheduled for Sept. 30 for a probable cause conference and Oct. 7 for a preliminary examination before Judge Kenneth King.
"I don’t think Miss. Graham will ever again in her life put a firearm within the reach of her children. I can’t imagine a harder way to learn," the judge said.
2022 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that firearm deaths are the No. 1 killer among children and teens. Data from healthychildren.org says in homes with guns, the likelihood of an accidental death by shooting is four times higher.
Since Jan. 1 of this year in Detroit, 65 children have been injured and 12 have been killed as a result of guns.
"It is something that I struggle with. A number of these cases lately are so tragic and puts people on notice that leaving these fire arms in this way creates a danger to children," the judge said.
The neighborhood has had a sense of heaviness since the shooting. Many placed balloons and candles on the doorstep where the 8-year-old lived.
"She was a very nice little girl. She was double-promoted, 8 years old, in the forth grade, very nice," D'Juan Harris, a former neighbor, said.
Neighbors plan to hold a vigil for her in the coming days.
