MARYSVILLE — The Marysville Police Department announced on Tuesday, June 5, that they plan to conduct an administrative review on Officer Derek Carlile, pending completion of any criminal proceedings for his being charged with second degree manslaughter by the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office on May 22, in connection with the accidental shooting death of his 7-year-old daughter, Jenna.
Carlile currently remains on paid administrative leave, but was also arraigned on June 5, after court papers filed by Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorneys Mark Roe and Lisa Paul accused Carlile with criminal negligence that they say caused Jenna’s death at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on March 11, due to a gunshot wound that she sustained in Stanwood on March 10.
In the affidavit of probable cause filed by Paul, Carlile was accused of creating a substantial risk of death by leaving his loaded, unsecured handgun in a center console of the family’s minivan, with the safety off, in clear view and reach of his four children inside. Carlile and his wife had gotten out of the van while stopping in Stanwood, during which Carlile’s 3-year-old son allegedly picked up the gun and fatally shot Jenna.
According to the affidavit, Carlile and his wife knew the boy was fascinated with guns. The charging documents also stated that Carlile neglected to use either the ankle strap of the gun’s holster or a locking compartment in the van where the gun could have been placed.
Although Carlile began lifesaving efforts immediately after hearing the shot and rushing back to the van to discover Jenna bleeding, she died at the hospital within hours.
While Carlile’s wife is not being charged, given that prosecutors credit her with alerting him to the unsecured gun in the van, Carlile himself could face 27 months in prison if convicted.