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KAYSVILLE — A 12-year-old girl died Sunday after she was accidentally shot by a younger sibling at their home in Kaysville, investigators said.
Kaysville police have not released the girl's name but neighbors identified her as Adelaide Clinger.
Hours before the shooting, the girl gave a talk in church expressing gratitude for her family.
"She was saying how grateful she was for her family and how her friends and her mom and dad are the best things in her life," said Jill Bowden, a neighbor in the same LDS Church ward.
Another neighbor, Steve Farnes, said Sunday was "a sad, sad day for our community here."
The Davis School District will have 17 counselors trained in grief counseling at Davis High School, Centennial Junior High School and Snowhorse Elementary School on Monday morning, said district spokesman Chris Williams.
Police said the girl was a student at Centennial Junior High.
According to an Instagram post, some students were planning to wear their Sunday best to school on Monday as a tribute to Adelaide and her family.
Hailee Bowden, a friend of Clinger and her siblings, said the children were close. She is in the same church class with Adelaide and she heard the girl's talk on Sunday. "I just said, 'That was a really, really good talk,'" she said.
The shooting occurred Sunday afternoon at the Clinger's residence, on the 1900 block of Cooper Street. Kaysville Police Lt. Paul Thompson said officers were notified of the shooting about 2:30 p.m. Emergency workers immediately attempted "life-saving measures," but the girl "eventually succumbed to her injuries."
Police released few details about the shooting, noting the investigation was in its early stages.
Handling incidents of this nature is emotional, particularly for officers and other first responders who are parents, Thompson said. "It's certainly not easy for anyone in these types of calls."
Such events offer a tragic reminder that firearms need to be securely stored in homes, "at minimum a trigger lock, at maximum a safe. A safe is your best bet for weapons safety," the lieutenant said.
A tweet from the Davis County Health Department Sunday night said: "We urge all families to lock up firearms and discuss gun safety with children."
Farnes said the neighborhood will pull together to support the family and others affected by the death.
"We help one another. Time heals," he said.
Contributing: Devon Dolan
