MORGANTOWN — A man has been arrested in the accidental shooting of 8-year-old Chloey Neely.
Michael A. Nichols, 49, of New Castle, Del., is charged with person prohibited from possessing firearms.
According to a criminal complaint, Nichols told deputies he had been handling a pistol when it accidentally discharged. Nichols was convicted of domestic battery in June 1997 and is not allowed to own firearms.
It is not immediately clear what relationship Nichols had with the Neely family.
The bullet, reported to be a 9mm hollow point, traveled through a wall and struck Neely in the head at her home in Rolling Hills Village, Friday night.
Tonya Hawkins, who organized a vigil for Neely and a fundraiser to support the family, said the girl is in a medically induced coma at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital.
Story by William Dean