Shortly after getting home from school Thursday afternoon, 7-year-old Shayna Bryant had settled onto the floor of her parents' bedroom with a coloring book and crayons.
While Bryant colored, her 11-year-old brother sat across the room inspecting a handgun he found in a kitchen cabinet. The gun discharged and a .25-caliber bullet passed through the young girl's head. She died about five hours later at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center."It's a very, very sad thing to see happen, and it's really tough when you have a very scared small child sitting there knowing he still has to talk to Mom and Dad about what happened," Provo Police Lt. Greg DuVal said.
Police say both parents were at work when the accidental shooting occurred about 4 p.m. Investigators believe the boy found the semi-automatic pistol in the top of a kitchen cabinet.
The boy had taken the gun out of a plastic case and removed the cylinder. However, he was unaware that a live round remained in the chamber and accidentally pulled the trigger while inspecting the gun.
"This is another good example that if weapons are going to be kept in the home they need to be placed in a secure and safe place," Provo Police Sgt. T.K. Meyer said.
At first the young boy called police and reported that an intruder came into the home and shot his sister. Officers established a perimeter around the home at 909 W. 1430 South and began searching the neighborhood for a suspect.
However, after talking to the boy for a few minutes it became evident to investigators that the intruder story was concocted by a shocked and panicky child.
"There were some things about his story that didn't add up right away," DuVal said. "He was obviously very scared and didn't know what to do."
Neighbors said the Bryant family had recently moved to Utah from Arizona and had only lived in the home for a couple of months. A police department crisis worker spent several hours Thursday night counseling the boy and his parents.
The girl and boy both attend Sunset Elementary School. A crisis team from Provo School District was at the school Friday morning to offer counseling for any students having difficulty dealing with the tragedy.