FORT WAYNE, IN – A man from Fort Wayne, Indiana, has been held responsible for the tragic death of a child who was fatally shot in a domestic incident on Saturday night. Travell Daniels, 29, was indicted on Monday on charges of causing the death of a dependent through neglect, a Level 1 felony in the state of Indiana.
According to court records unveiled by Allen Superior Court, Fort Wayne Police officers responded to a distress call shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday night, arriving at a residential property to find a young child, whose gender and age have not been disclosed, in a bedroom with a gunshot wound. Tragically, despite being swiftly transported to the hospital, the child was later pronounced dead.
Daniels allegedly informed officers that his Glock 23 had been stowed under his pillow when he returned home that afternoon. This was reportedly a regular practice of his.
Daniels elaborated that the child had been dropped off at his residence by the mother in the afternoon. Later, when the child became unsettled during the evening, Daniels made the child juice and took him up to his bedroom until he fell asleep. Daniels maintained that he only left the room for around ten minutes when he was rattled by a loud bang and raced back upstairs. He found the child struck by a bullet, though he was unsure of the exact circumstances.
Also present at home at the time of the incident were Daniel’s brother’s girlfriend along with her two young children. Upon being awakened by the sound of a gun blast, she recollected hearing Daniels cry out loudly. As she came out of her room, Daniels asked her to summon an ambulance, after which she retreated back into her room until the arrival of the police.
While the exact location of the unfortunate incident remains undisclosed in the court documents, the timeframe corresponds to the reported shooting on Saturday night within the 2900 block of Shawnee Drive, where Daniels is registered as residing.
As of Monday morning, Daniels has been released on bond.