An Illinois father has been arrested six weeks after his 14-year-old daughter was fatally shot in what investigators describe as a reckless and devastating accident.
David Schultheis, 34, was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm in connection with the July 21 incident that claimed the life of his daughter, Emma Schultheis, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.
A second individual, 58-year-old Karen Schwarze, is facing charges of concealing a homicidal death and obstructing justice for allegedly attempting to cover up the tragedy.
Deputies and emergency responders were called to the scene around 1:30 p.m. on July 21. They discovered Emma suffering from a gunshot wound. Despite being rushed to a St. Louis-area hospital and receiving continued medical treatment, she tragically died.
Investigators revealed that David Schultheis was trying to kill a buzzard that had flown into a brick building. In an attempt to avoid ricochet, he reportedly “inserted only his arm into the room keeping his head outside the doorway to avoid potential ricochet, before pulling the trigger” of his handgun.
The bullet struck the bird, exited through a window, and fatally hit Emma, who was standing outside.
The Sheriff’s Department said Schultheis “knowingly and unlawfully discharged a firearm in a reckless manner, thereby endangering the bodily safety of another individual.”
Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing described the incident as tragic but preventable.
“He was shooting in an unsafe direction and made some poor choices in my opinion and unfortunately it resulted in his daughter’s death,” Rohlfing told the Belleville News-Democrat.
Authorities allege that Karen Schwarze “unlawfully concealed the death of Emma Schultheis, knowing that her death resulted from homicidal means.”
She is accused of urging others not to speak to investigators and hiding the Taurus .40 caliber pistol used in the shooting “with the intent to prevent the apprehension or prosecution of David Schultheis.”
Although Emma’s death was categorized as “homicidal,” prosecutors opted to charge her father with reckless discharge of a firearm rather than homicide.
David Schultheis voluntarily surrendered this week. He was processed and later released pending further proceedings. Schwarze is expected to turn herself in soon.
Emma, a sophomore at Red Bud High School, died just six days before her 15th birthday. The tragedy has left the community grieving a young life cut short by a preventable act of gun violence.
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