PALM COAST, Fla. – Ja’Liyah Allen is the 1-year-old girl, shot and killed in Flagler county Sunday night. Her father is heartbroken and wants justice for his daughter.
The Flagler County sheriff said the child did not touch the gun. While there were eight adults in the home when it happened, according to Flagler County Sheriff, Rick Staly, Ja’Liya’s father, Ja’Mari Allen, was not one of them.
Allen says his daughter was a “loving and sweet baby.” He said she was “wonderful and loved saying hi to everyone.”
“She was just learning all she could do,” Allen said.
The 911 call is difficult to listen to and there is screaming in the background. A man tells the dispatcher, “a baby’s been shot.”
Dispatch asked, “What happened,” and he responded, “the gun accidentally went off and it shot the baby,” he thinks, “in the head.”
Dispatch asked, “Who had the gun,” and he answered, “my home boy.”
When dispatch asked where the gun was, he said, “in the house, on the ground.”
The call ends when deputies arrive. Ja’Liyah died when she got to the hospital. The sheriff’s office says they have a person of interest.
21-year-old CJ Nelson was arrested for gun possession, violating his probation, but not for the baby’s death.
The department says they aren’t ruling out any of the eight adults who were there, and the sheriff says they haven’t been totally cooperative.
Allen says he’s upset and curious because whether it was an accident or not, someone should admit to it. “I want justice for my daughter.”
The child’s father has set up a go fund me to help pay for funeral expenses.