Cheryl Howell Coe, 51, initially told authorities the shooting was accidental. However, deputies quickly determined that was not the case, sheriff’s office Investigator Toby Nix said.

Cheryl Howell never imagined she would become part of that statistic. “Everybody says ‘it’s not my child.’ Well, I said that too about 14 years ago; I said not my child, and now ...