Ciara Meyer was killed Monday when an altercation between her armed father and a constable resulted in gunfire.
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A 12-year-old girl from a small town in Pennsylvania was shot and killed Monday by a local police officer who had fired his gun at the child's armed father.
According to PennLive, Ciara Meyer was home with her father, Donald, Monday morning at the Pfautz Rentals apartment complex when Perry County constable Clarke Steele knocked on their door to serve an eviction notice.
Donald Meyer, 57, reportedly answered the door with a rifle slung over his shoulder, and began arguing with Steele as his daughter stood behind him. At one point, Meyer pointed his gun at the officer's chest.
The constable withdrew his handgun and fired a shot at Donald, striking him in his upper right arm. The bullet went through his arm and struck Ciara, authorities told PennLive.
Authorities pronounced the 12-year-old dead at the scene, and Donald was flown to a nearby hospital to treat the wound in his arm.
A spokesperson for constables in the region told PennLive that due to "numerous visits" to the Meyer residence by law enforcement, Steele's appearance was "absolutely no surprise."
Authorities maintain that Steele did not intentionally shoot the girl. The officer had been ordered by a judge to serve the notice after several previous attempts to get the family to pay the $1,780.85 in back rent, according to court documents.
Their apartment was ordered possessed on Dec. 30.
Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson Andrew Hicks said that Steele's "lawful job, because he had a valid court order, was to remove them from the property if they had not already moved."
Further details about Ciara have not been released, but a woman who appears to be related to her posted to Facebook Tuesday with news of the incident.
Susquentia School District, where Ciara went to school, posted a statement to its website that schools would provide necessary resources to help students cope with the news.
BuzzFeed News has reached out to Pennsylvania State Police for more information.
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