Man accidentally shoots pregnant teen to death in car while "playing with" handgun in Louisiana

A suspect has been arrested after accidentally shooting and killing a pregnant 17-year-old inside of a moving car, sheriff's officials in Baton Rouge, Louisiana said.

WAFB-TV reports Chad Blackard, 23, was booked in connection to the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Karrington Smith, according to Casey Hicks, a spokeswoman with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office. Blackard faces several charges, including negligent homicide, third-degree feticide and illegal use of weapons.

Blackard, who was sitting behind Smith in a moving car on Saturday, fired a single round from his semi-automatic handgun, hitting Smith in the back, authorities said. Deputies said Blackard was allegedly "playing with the handgun" when it discharged, WAFB reported.

Authorities said Smith, who was 25 weeks pregnant, was taken to a local hospital where she and her unborn child later died.

The Advocate, citing an affidavit, reported that Blackard bragged that his gun "outperforms" a gun owned by another passenger before it discharged.

The newspaper reported that before Smith died, she initially told deputies that the gun had accidentally fired while in her purse, but the sheriff's office later determined Blackard was responsible.

The incident marks the second time this week that a woman was killed inside a car by accidental gunfire. Police in suburban Chicago said a 3-year-old boy accidentally shot his mother to death as the family was sitting in their car in a supermarket parking lot on Saturday.

A 2019 study estimates there are about 430 accidental firearm deaths in the U.S. per year and unintentional gun deaths occur four times more often in the U.S. than other high-income countries. 

In:
• Gun Safety
• Louisiana