10-year-old girl shot dead with a gun her sister's boyfriend told everyone was a 'toy': Police

An Indiana teen volition look charges arsenic an big aft constabulary said helium near a loaded weapon wrong scope of his girlfriend's little sister, who ended up fatally shot.

Jacob Olvera, 18, was charged with 4 felonies successful transportation with the fatal shooting of 10-year-old Sophia Burks, who died of a gunshot coiled connected Feb. 7. According to a transgression ailment reviewed by Law & Crime, constabulary said Olvera brought a weapon to his girlfriend's location days before, telling respective people, including the children who lived there, that the weapon was a BB gun. He reportedly near the weapon successful his girlfriend's bedroom, wherever it was recovered by Sophia.

According to the complaint, constabulary responded to the location wherever Sophia's household lived successful Mishawaka, Indiana, aft receiving a telephone astir a shooting. When they arrived, officers recovered Sophia successful her sister's chamber successful the home's basement, dormant from a gunshot wound. The weapon was recovered connected the bed.

Sophia's parent told constabulary that she heard a large bang close earlier her lad ran upstairs to archer her that Sophia "had been shot." She instantly ran to her daughter's broadside and recovered her with terrible injuries.

Police spoke to Sophia's older sister, who was dating Olvera. She told constabulary that astir a week earlier the shooting, Olvera came to her family's location with the weapon and told her and the different children "that the weapon was a BB weapon oregon a toy." Sophia's sister told constabulary that she handled the weapon herself with the children present, reasoning it was not a existent gun.

On Feb. 7, Sophia's sister said Olvera came to the location with a "heavy" backpack, which helium placed successful her chamber nether a table. Shortly earlier the shooting, Olvera, his girlfriend, and her gramps near the home, leaving the backpack unattended.

Police said Sophia's sister acknowledged that Olvera "lied astir the firearm being a toy" and said helium should ne'er person brought it to her family's house.

When constabulary questioned Olvera, helium denied that helium had brought a existent firearm to his girlfriend's home. He said helium antecedently brought a BB gun. Police told him that the weapon recovered successful his girlfriend's chamber was a existent firearm, and it did not beryllium to her grandfather. Olvera was reportedly "unable to explain" however a existent firearm ended up successful his girlfriend's bedroom. He past invoked his close to counsel and stopped speaking to police.

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According to the complaint, constabulary searched Olvera's location and recovered respective "firearm-related items," including a handgun and a firearm conversion switch, "a instrumentality designed to person a semi-automatic firearm into a afloat automatic firearm, which constitutes a instrumentality weapon nether Indiana law." Olvera was 17 years aged astatine the time, which made his alleged possession of thing firearm-related illegal.

Olvera was charged arsenic an adult with transgression recklessness committed with a deadly weapon, unsafe possession of a firearm by a child, and 2 counts of possession of a instrumentality gun. He remains successful custody astatine the St. Joseph County Jail, wherever helium is being held connected $25,000 bond. His adjacent tribunal day is scheduled for June 17.