Also present at the scene was Heath Smylie, the victim's husband, who had also suffered a gunshot wound but then managed to wrestle the gun away from his stepdaughter before she fled into the woods, according to the RCSO.
A beloved high school teacher is dead and her daughter is in custody after a fatal shooting on Tuesday night in Mississippi.
The Rankin County Sheriff’s Office [RCSO] arrived at the home of Ashley Smylie, 40, shortly after 5 p.m. on Tuesday to find her dead on the scene from a gunshot wound, the department said in a statement.
Also present at the scene was Heath Smylie, who had also suffered a gunshot wound, according to the RCSO.
Heath told police that he arrived home to discover his wife dead on the floor and his 14-year-old stepdaughter holding a gun, according to the RCSO.
He said that he was able to wrestle the gun away from the girl but not before she managed to fire a single bullet that managed to strike him in the shoulder, said the RCSO.
The teenager then allegedly fled the scene, ran into the backyard, and hopped a fence before taking off into the woods, Heath told officers.'
Authorities were able to locate the girl just a few minutes later and she is now being held at the Rankin County Juvenile Detention Center ahead of her first appearance before a judge on Wednesday, according to court records.
The RCSO said that the teenager is being charged with murder and attempted murder.
The minor has yet to enter a plea and does not have legal representation.
Rankin County School officials tell WLBT that the victim was a teacher at Northwest Rankin High School, and that her daughter is a freshman at the same school,
The victim's body is now with the state medical examiner, who will determine her exact cause of death.
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