8-Year Old Girl Killed at a Pool Party

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From NewsOne (via the AP)

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Stefon Diggs and Cardi B Viral Boat Video Prompts Response from Patriots Coach
Stefon Diggs and Cardi B Viral Boat Video Prompts Response from Patriots Coach

"A man put an 8-year-old girl in a headlock Wednesday and shot her to death, then shot himself in the stomach, authorities said.

The girlโ€™s father is dating Ricky Lee Blackwellโ€™s estranged wife.ย Spartanburg County deputies saidย Blackwellshot the girl twice in the driveway of a home where he had taken her and his estranged wife to swim and play. The home is in Chesnee, about 60 miles southwest of Charlotte, N.C.

Several adults and children saw the shooting and pointed officers toward Blackwell, investigators said.

Blackwell shot himself as police closed in. He was taken to a hospital but his condition wasnโ€™t released.

The coronerโ€™s office identified the girl as Heather Brooke Center of Woodruff.

Investigators said they werenโ€™t sure of Blackwellโ€™s motive.

โ€œI donโ€™t know where you can go in the mind to justify shooting a child,โ€ saidย Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright. โ€œI donโ€™t understand how you can get so angry.โ€

The sheriff said Blackwell, 50, has a longย criminal record. He was charged with murder and kidnapping. No one answered his phone Wednesday night.

โ€œAs soon as they called his name, I knew him,โ€ Wright said. โ€œIโ€™d heard that boyโ€™s name before.โ€

โ€ฆWhat is there to say?

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