COLUMBUS, OH – A 33-year-old man and his teenaged juvenile son are currently behind bars after police say a reckless discharge of a firearm left unattended by the juvenile’s father led to the death of the teen’s 11-year-old cousin.
On December 19th, 33-year-old Matthew Seymour was formally charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangerment of a child in connection to the fatal shooting of his niece, 11-year-old Amya Frazier, which occurred earlier in the month allegedly at the hands of his 14-year-old son.
According to authorities in tandem with statements Seymour made to media outlets preceding his arrest, during the early morning hours of December 5th, Seymour reportedly heard his dogs going off outside which prompted him to remove his firearm from a lockbox inside the home and investigate the source of the commotion.
After investigating what could’ve set the dogs off outside the home, Seymour reportedly didn’t place his firearm back in the lockbox he retrieved it from but allegedly left the weapon on top of a minifridge. At approximately 6:26 p.m. on December 5th, Columbus Police responded to Seymour’s home where Amya was found to have suffered a life-threatening gunshot wound.
The young girl was transferred to an area hospital but sadly succumbed to her injuries three days later on December 8th. Investigators say the incident occurred after Seymour’s teenage son allegedly found the unsecured firearm and fired the weapon which led to the young girl’s fatal injury.
At the time of the incident, Seymour claims he wasn’t inside of the home per his pre-arrest interview with The Columbus Dispatch, but another unnamed adult was present at the time who was apparently taking a shower when the fatal shot was fired. Understanding the gravity of the situation, Seymour noted in his interview that while the shooting seems to have been accidental, he’s ready to face “any consequences” that comes his way and hopes his son doesn’t bear the heaviest punitive burden.
Seymour’s son was arrested and charged with reckless homicide and remains in custody at a juvenile facility. The juvenile’s father remains in custody at the James A. Karnes Correction Center and is being held without bond, with his next court appearance slated for December 26th.
A conviction of involuntary manslaughter could result in up to an 11-year prison sentence whereas a conviction of felony child endangerment could result in up to an 8-year prison sentence.
On December 19th, 33-year-old Matthew Seymour was formally charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangerment of a child in connection to the fatal shooting of his niece, 11-year-old Amya Frazier, which occurred earlier in the month allegedly at the hands of his 14-year-old son.
According to authorities in tandem with statements Seymour made to media outlets preceding his arrest, during the early morning hours of December 5th, Seymour reportedly heard his dogs going off outside which prompted him to remove his firearm from a lockbox inside the home and investigate the source of the commotion.
After investigating what could’ve set the dogs off outside the home, Seymour reportedly didn’t place his firearm back in the lockbox he retrieved it from but allegedly left the weapon on top of a minifridge. At approximately 6:26 p.m. on December 5th, Columbus Police responded to Seymour’s home where Amya was found to have suffered a life-threatening gunshot wound.
The young girl was transferred to an area hospital but sadly succumbed to her injuries three days later on December 8th. Investigators say the incident occurred after Seymour’s teenage son allegedly found the unsecured firearm and fired the weapon which led to the young girl’s fatal injury.
At the time of the incident, Seymour claims he wasn’t inside of the home per his pre-arrest interview with The Columbus Dispatch, but another unnamed adult was present at the time who was apparently taking a shower when the fatal shot was fired. Understanding the gravity of the situation, Seymour noted in his interview that while the shooting seems to have been accidental, he’s ready to face “any consequences” that comes his way and hopes his son doesn’t bear the heaviest punitive burden.
Seymour’s son was arrested and charged with reckless homicide and remains in custody at a juvenile facility. The juvenile’s father remains in custody at the James A. Karnes Correction Center and is being held without bond, with his next court appearance slated for December 26th.
A conviction of involuntary manslaughter could result in up to an 11-year prison sentence whereas a conviction of felony child endangerment could result in up to an 8-year prison sentence.
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