Gun missing after 7-year-old fatally shot by toddler, Nashville police say

A 7-year-old child was fatally shot by her 2-year-old cousin south of downtown Nashville on Tuesday afternoon, according to Metro Police.

Harmony Warfield was in the J. C. Napier Homes apartment with four other relatives — her 29-year-old aunt and children ages 14, 11 and 2 — shortly after 12:30 p.m.,  according to police.  

When the gunshot was heard, the children were located in the kitchen, where the 14-year-old told police the 2-year-old was holding a pistol. 

Harmony was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she died, police said.

Police later said the pistol Harmony was shot with was never found.

Detectives learned that Harmony's aunt's friend, Anthony P. Sanders, was outside when the shot was fired, came in to see what happened and then ran from the area, police said.

Police are now searching for Sanders, 27, to find out what he knows about the gun. 

Anyone seeing Sanders is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.

Police have not yet indicated whether they will file charges in the case, and it was not immediately clear how the toddler obtained the weapon. 

But youth services detectives believe the shooting was accidental. 

More:What happened to these Tennessee parents after accidental child shootings?

Dumonique Batey, 21, another of Harmony's aunts, said the girl was "an angel."

"Harmony was a sweet, helpful child," she said. "She loved reading and she smiled all day, every day."

Batey said she wasn't at the apartment when her niece was shot.

Tamika Rucker's young son regularly played with Harmony, although he wasn't there when the shooting took place. 

Rucker lives just across a small courtyard from the apartment where the child was killed.

She said Harmony would always run up to her for a hug or a popsicle, and take turns riding her son's battery-powered motorcycle. 

Rucker said when she saw medics carrying Harmony out of the home, she thought the girl was just sick. She said it was her 4-year-old son who gave her the news.

"It hurts," Rucker said. "I'm very sorry that happened to her mother."

She described the family as "good people" and said everyone watches out for everyone else in the neighborhood. Rucker had trouble understanding how a toddler managed to lift a gun and pull the trigger.

"It's not easy being a mother," she said. "Watch your kids because stuff happens so fast."

She called for an increased police presence, saying shootings are a regular problem in the housing development.

Metro Police officer Joel Bontrager said he and other officers respond regularly to calls for service in the area but said the calls are usually drug-related. 

And Bontrager said calls for young children being shot are rare. 

"It's almost always an accident," he said. "It's always avoidable."

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

Reach Ariana Sawyer at asawyer@tennessean.com or on Twitter @a_maia_sawyer.