4-year-old Ankeny shooting victim may be Iowa's 11th child to die of unintentional gunshot since 2015

The father of a 4-year-old girl who died of gunshot injuries this week told police that she shot herself with a gun that he brought out because he feared a confrontation at the door.

On Wednesday, Ankeny police identified the girl as Savannah Holmes. Police responded to a residence in the 900 block of Northeast Fifth Street Monday morning with a report that a child shot herself in the face.

Savannah later died of her injuries at a local hospital. If her death is determined to be the result of an accidental shooting, she would be Iowa's 11th child to die of an unintentional gunshot since 2015.

Ankeny Police Department said it would not release further information about the incident until it completed its investigation. The incident was isolated and there is no danger to the public, police said.

Previously: Father tells police Ankeny 4-year-old shot herself after he brought out gun when men came to his door

What the father said happened before his daughter died

In court documents filed on Wednesday, police said the girl's father told them that he put his two children — daughter, Savannah, and a son — in their high chairs to feed them after returning home from dropping off a bag at his wife's workplace.

Savannah Holmes
Savannah Holmes

He said that he saw two men approach the front door and heard them pounding on it. The father feared a confrontation with the men, so he grabbed his pistol and went to the front door, he told police.

According to a search warrant, the father told police he put the gun down near a couch and spoke to the men, one of whom said he had left his phone in the home.

The father told police that his children had gotten out of their high chairs, and he went back inside to grab his son, who was climbing up the stairs. That's when he believes that his daughter grabbed the gun and shot herself, he told police.

The two men who were there to retrieve the phone told police they were speaking with the father on the front lawn. One of them saw the boy crawl up the stairs and the father grab him. But they said that the father came back out and that they were all outside when they heard the gunshot.

No charges had been filed as of Thursday afternoon.

Previously: Police disclose few details in gunshot death of 4-year-old Ankeny girl

Everytown: More than two dozen Iowa children have been unintentionally shot since 2015

According to Everytown Research, "since 2015, there were at least 28 unintentional shootings by children, resulting in 10 deaths and 19 injuries in Iowa." Those figures do not include this week's Ankeny incident.

Some of the incidents resulted in charges being brought against those involved.

In May of 2020, Ishmael Muhammad, 17,  was unintentionally shot in the neck by another teen at a Des Moines home. Muhammad died of his injuries and the other teen was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

In November of that year, a couple from Dyersville received probation last year after being charged with child endangerment after a 2-year-old found a handgun on a bedside table and picked it up, which caused it to discharge and hit his mother. The woman was airlifted to Iowa City for medical treatment.

The two pleaded guilty and were placed on two years of probation.

In 2016, a 4-year-old Elgin boy died after accidentally shooting himself while unsupervised. The owner of the gun in that incident was charged in federal court with being in possession of a firearm while being an unlawful user of drugs. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two months in prison and three years of supervised release.

Safety guidelines for guns around children

According to Project ChildSafe, part of the National Shooting Sports Foundation trade association, gun owners can take several steps to help children remain safe with firearms in the home:

  • Unloaded firearms should be kept in a locked cabinet, safe, gun vault or storage case that a child cannot access. Owners can also use gun-locking devices.

  • Firearms parts should be stored in separate locations.

  • Ammunition should be stored away from firearms.

  • Firearms should be kept unloaded.

Chris Higgins covers the eastern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa girl may be 11th child to die in accidental shooting since 2015