Father, 20, charged with shooting murder of 9-month-old daughter

Yesterday, the Evansville Police Department in Indiana reported that they arrested and charged a 20-year-old father in the shooting death of his nine-month-old daughter. The accused father, Anthony Lamont Meriweather, was charged with felony neglect of a dependent resulting in death. He was booked into the Vanderburgh County Corrections Center.

On August 28 around 2:40 p.m. officers were called to an apartment in the 3900 block of Vista Drive regarding a call that came in about a baby that had been shot. When officers arrived on the scene, they found a nine-month-old baby girl that had a gunshot wound to her head. The infant was inside the apartment when she was shot.

After arriving at the hospital, the child was pronounced deceased.

The Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office has identified the baby shot Friday as Iowa Meriweather, of Henderson, Kentucky.

Coroner Steve Lockyear says the autopsy shows the 9-month-old girl died from a single gunshot wound to the head. He has ruled the death a homicide. ~ 14 News

The father originally told detectives that he was carrying his daughter who was in a an infant safety seat into the apartment when she was shot in a drive-in shooting.  He later fessed up and told the police the gun went off while he was holding it.

Police found a shell casing in plain view on the bathroom floor of the apartment as they were checking that room for suspects or a firearm, according to the Courier & Press.

Merriweather is being held on a $50,000 bond, according to WISH-TV.

(Cover photo, Anthony Lamont Meriweather Booking Photo, Image credit: Evansville Police Department)
(Source: Evansville Police Department)

~  Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter