PERRY, Ga. — The family has identified the 13-year-old girl who was accidentally shot Friday night as Malia Clark.
Her family told 13WMAZ that Clark was free-spirited and her favorite things to do were making TikTok videos and playing with her dog, Gigi.
Ayesha Stokeling says she was getting off work when she found out her niece was shot in the neck. She says she will miss hearing Malia's voice.
"What I'm going to remember and what I'll always remember and always miss is her texting me, asking me can she come over. 'Titi can I come spend the night with you? Titi, Aunt Tesha' — I'm going to miss those text messages," Stokeling said.
Stokeling says she will always remember how much her niece wanted to be with her. Clark says she was outgoing and always had a way with words.
"Outspoken, talkative, loved to irritate everybody," Stokeling said.
Friday night, Stokeling says she was getting off work when she got a call that Clark had been shot. She said there were a lot of people everywhere.
"I remember fire trucks, ambulance, police. Just a bunch of police," Stokeling said.
What we know so far is Clark's mother says there were four people in the room playing with a gun when Clark was accidentally shot in the neck. Her mother was not ready to speak with us but said she was outside at the time and it was a normal Friday night at home.
The 16-year-old, whose name has not been released, and her 17-year-old brother Taylor Tharpe are charged with involuntary manslaughter.
We asked Perry Police was the gun registered to anyone in the home and how the 16-year-old got the gun. Captain James Jones says the 16-year-old disposed of the gun before they arrived at the home and they are looking for it.
Perry Police are interviewing one more witness before they will say who shot Clark. They will release more details on Wednesday.
MORE THAN A NUMBER:
More Than A Number is a Poynter-Stand Together award-winning project by Justin Baxley designed to help families of loved ones impacted by tragedy and trauma interact with journalists in a less intrusive way. Families are able to fill out a form about their family and also receive an in-depth guide on the next steps.
More Than A Number officially launched in August with a streaming special available on 13WMAZ+ for on-demand streaming. For any questions or concerns about More Than A Number, contact us here at the following email: MoreThanANumber@13wmaz.com
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