Mother Charged With Murder In 4-Year-Old's Accidental Shooting

DEKALB COUNTY, GA — The mother of a 4-year-old who was killed in an accidental shooting Sunday in Georgia is being charged with second-degree murder, according to DeKalb County court records.

Kaelin Lewis, 26, is also being charged with second-degree felony cruelty to a child, court records show.

Lewis, who is from Atlanta, was driving northbound on Interstate 85 near North Druid Hills Road around 7:30 p.m. when her daughter, Kendal Lewis, picked up a handgun in the backseat and discharged it, striking and killing herself, police said.

Lewis was initially charged with cruelty to a child. Under Georgia law, a second-degree murder charge can be added in similar situations if the child dies and authorities determine criminal negligence caused the death even if there was no malice.

The DeKalb County District Attorney's Office will review evidence from the DeKalb County Police Department's investigation and determine "the appropriate course of prosecutorial action," a District Attorney's Office spokesperson told Patch.

A GoFundMe has raised more than $6,000 of a $10,000 goal for Kendal Lewis' funeral expenses. Lewis was to start pre-K the next day, according to the listing, which described her as "the most boisterous and lively" young girl.

At least 40 children have been shot in the Atlanta metropolitan area this year, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.