A 14-year-old Ohio boy and his father have been charged in the shooting death of the man’s 11-year-old niece earlier this month.
Police were called to the scene at around 6:30 p.m. on December 5 and found Amya Frazier suffering from a gunshot wound. She was taken to a hospital, where she died five days later, according to the Columbus Division of Police.
On December 11, her 14-year-old cousin was charged in juvenile court with reckless homicide. And on Friday, the boy’s father, 33-year-old Matthew Seymour was charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering children.
Seymour had previously told the Columbus Dispatch that his son had friends over the night before the shooting. At about 3 a.m., he said, he took a handgun out of his safe because his dogs appeared to be reacting to something outside the home. When he finished investigating, he put the gun on top of a mini-fridge instead of putting it back into the safe where it belonged.
At the time of the shooting, he said, he wasn’t home, although another adult was. That adult was taking a shower when the teen “grabbed the gun and decided to play with it,” Seymour said in the December 11 article.
Seymour said he has not spoken with his niece’s mother since the shooting.
“The only thing that matters to me is that (Amya’s mother) knows that it was truly an accident,” Seymour said. “There’s nothing that me nor my son can do to make this go away. Her baby’s life got taken away from her.”
“I’m ready for any consequences that come my way,” he said. “I just don’t want my son to lose his life over this.”
Seymour was previously charged with a misdemeanor weapons count last year for firing into the ground when teenagers fired pellets at his home. He later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, the Dispatch said.
Frazier was a fifth grade student at Westgate Elementary School with a four sisters — a 14-year-old, an 8-year-old, and 7-year-old twins. Her grandmother, Amy Zahrani, told the newspaper that Frazier played soccer and wanted to be a doctor and a professional soccer player.
“Everyone who met Amya loved Amya,” Zahrani said.
Seymour’s bond has not yet been set, jail records show.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Featured image: Matthew Seymour/Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and Amya Frazier/family handout]