Officer

Stratford Police Officer Charged After Daughter Killed in Shooting Inside Family's Home

Prosecutors said Righter left a loaded .357 revolver out on a shelf within reach of the family's three children

A Stratford police officer has been charged with child endangerment after prosecutors said his daughter was shot and killed in the family's South Jersey home his gun.

Kenneth Righter, 46, faces three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child and firearm offenses for the tragic New Year's Eve shooting, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office announced Friday.

Prosecutors said Righter left a loaded .357 revolver out on a shelf within reach of the family's three children -- ages 8, 14 and 17.

His 8-year-old daughter, Sailor, died on Dec. 31, 2016 after being shot inside the family's home. Her mother rushed Sailor to Kennedy Memorial Hospital - Stratford before medics could arrive, prosecutors said. The girl later died at the hospital.

The circumstances of the shooting remain unclear and the investigation remains open, officials said.

Righter will be suspended from the Stratford Police Department without pay, prosecutors said.

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