Leucadia Girl Kills Herself Accidentally
A 10-year-old Leucadia girl accidentally shot and killed herself Friday with a .22-caliber rifle that had been left in a bedroom, authorities said.
Maria Patricia Clemente, a fourth-grader at Leucadia Central School, died in the emergency room of Scripps Hospital in Encinitas at 7:28 p.m., deputy coroner Jerry Hillbrand said.
The girl was rushed to Scripps by her father, Manuel Clemente, from the home on the 700 block of Hygeia Avenue after being shot in the chest about 7 p.m., Sheriff’s Sgt. Suzanne Hatcher said.
Hatcher said the girl apparently grabbed the rifle, which was on a bed, and it accidentally fired.
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