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Man Throws Exercise Weight At Daughter's Mother, Accidentally Kills Child Instead
The weighty projectile was meant for the mother, but it killed the toddler instead.
An Alabama man was arrested and charged with the murder of his two-year-old daughter after he allegedly killed her with an exercise weight, deputies say, while trying to injure the girl's mother.
Ira Reid, 38, from Bessemer, a town near Birmingham, was charged on Saturday with murder, shooting or throwing a dangerous object into a vehicle, domestic violence 2nd degree, and domestic violence 3rd degree, according to AL.com, citing Jefferson County Sheriff's Office reports.
The unfortunate and tragic incident started when deputies responded to a domestic violence call around 11:30 A.M., Chief Deputy Randy Christian told AL.com. When they arrived they found a two-year-old girl unresponsive, with injuries to her head and face. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she later died.
Deputies collected information on the scene and found out the child's parents had been arguing violently. When the mother went to get into the car and leave, Christian told AL.com, Reid threw an exercise weight through the window. The weight missed the mother, however, and hit the child in the head. Deputies arrested Reid on the scene and he admitted to causing the injuries to his daughter.
"A child's life should never be taken by anyone's hand, most certainly their own father," Christian told AL.com. "How a father could be angry enough to do something that even put their child in danger is beyond comprehension. It's gut wrenching. God take that precious innocent little girl into your loving arms and somehow give peace to the family left behind."
WMBF NBC News sent a reporter to cover the scene, and they talked to an eyewitness.
"I just heard disagreement and fussing," neighbor Timothy Fletcher told the station. "And I came out and the child was laying on the driveway. I was heartbroken to hear she had passed because this is a quiet neighborhood and nothing like that happens."
Reid is in the Jefferson County Jail with a bond set at $165,000.
[Photo: Jefferson County Sheriff's Office]
