Autopsy Planned In Bb Gun Death

An autopsy was planned today on a 9-year-old girl who was shot to death Monday afternoon by a playmate on the Colville Indian Reservation.

Tribal police say the girl was shot in the chest with a BB gun by a 10-year-old boy. The circumstances were still under investigation Tuesday, but Ferry County Prosecutor and Coroner Al Nielson said the incident appears to have been an accident.

Nielson said the girl apparently was shot in the heart or a major artery at the top of her heart.

A police spokeswoman said the shooting occurred about 1 p.m. in the Hells Gate Game Preserve near Keller, Wash. The girl, her 11-year-old sister and the boy were collecting feathers for a ceremonial dress for a friend. Their fathers, who are loggers, were working nearby.

The victim’s sister called for help on a citizen’s band radio, but the girl was dead when emergency crews arrived.

Police declined to identify the children, all of whom are tribal members.