5:40 P.M. UPDATE:
Kayden May's charge in the shooting death of Abbigale Thacker was downgraded from second-degree murder to manslaughter, Texarkana Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Kristi Bennett said Friday afternoon. Bennett said that after further investigation and consultation with the prosecutor, authorities determined that manslaughter "is a more appropriate charge for the circumstances" of Thacker's death.
EARLIER:
An 18-year-old is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend, Texarkana police said.
Kayden May is accused of fatally shooting Abbigale Thacker, 18, at a home they shared in the 200 block of South Mosley Road, Texarkana Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Kristi Bennett said.
Officers responded to a call around 5:30 p.m. Thursday reporting an accidental shooting, according to a news release. They found Thacker dead of a single gunshot wound.
Bennett said the shooting was not an act of domestic violence but resulted from “an extreme case” of gun safety violations.
Bennett said police do not classify what happened as an accident and pointed to state statute which says an individual commits second-degree murder when they “knowingly causes the death of another person under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.”
She declined to detail what exactly May was doing that led the gun to fire and said she did not know if he owned the gun.
“It’s nothing short of two individuals whose lives were completely changed,” Bennett said. “One is no longer here. It’s very sad.”