A 43-year-old mother accidentally killed her 16-year-old daughter while trying to get rid of a stray dog that was attacking her kittens.
Amanda Myrene Fields Moffett from Oklahoma has pleaded guilty to shooting and killing her own daughter, Laramie, which occurred on October 5, 2018, outside their Nowata home.
Reports revealed that the incident unfolded after the teen told her mother that a dog was attacking their kittens.
Moffett grabbed her handgun and stepped out onto their porch before firing her weapon but when she thought she was targeting the stray animal, she accidentally shot Laramie.
The grieving mother admitted that she did not check on her daughter’s location before opening fire.
“I went out onto my front porch and discharged a handgun at what I believed was the stray dog,” she wrote in her federal plea agreement.
“When I discharged the firearm, it was dark outside, and I knew [my daughter] was outside of my home trying to save the kittens from the dog. I did not verify that [my daughter] was not in my line of fire when I discharged the handgun.”
U.S. Attorney Clinton Johnson emphasized the legal responsibility that comes with owning a gun.
“Every gun owner has the legal responsibility to use extreme caution when discharging a firearm. This case unfortunately highlights the potential tragic results absent that caution,” he said.
Moffett was initially charged with first-degree murder with deliberate intent but the case was dismissed after it was deemed to be unlawfully filed.
Federal prosecutors decided to take up the case on September 16, five years after the incident happened.
An obituary for the teen read: “Laramie always had a smile on her face. She loved all animals mostly her horses, show calves. She was an accomplished rider in rodeo. She had no fear of animals, she rode bulls, and bareback broncs. Mostly she loved her barrel racing and roping.”
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