Girl accidentally shot herself, police say

A fatal shooting early Saturday that left a 16-year-old Wichita girl dead was accidental, police say.

Wichita police Lt. Jason Stephens said Monday that it appears the girl – identified as Nautica Whittker – fired at herself unintentionally while she and other teens were playing with a shotgun in the basement of a house in the 1300 block of North Erie around 2:15 a.m.

Officers who responded to a 911 call about the shooting found the girl dead in the basement, he said.

“After interviewing several witnesses and investigating evidence at the scene, it was determined that it does appear that the female accidentally shot herself,” Stephens said.

Six people – four teens, an 18-year-old and a man in his 30s – were downstairs and other adults were upstairs when the shooting happened, he said.

Stephens said the girl was visiting the home with friends. The shotgun belonged to someone who lived there, he said.

“There aren’t any charges being brought against anyone right now,” Stephens said.

Police were still trying to determine whether the gun was legally owned, he said.

This story was originally published December 19, 2016 at 10:57 AM with the headline "Girl accidentally shot herself, police say."