KELSEY MAJOR - 6 months - / Charged: Parents Angela and Ken Mason - Knoxville, TN

Knox County 6-month-old girl fatally shot, parents charged

Posted: Updated: June 19, 2013 10:44 PM



(Source: Facebook) Angela Major with her infant daughter Kelsey.

Angela Major (source: Knox County Sheriff's Office)

Ken Mason (source: Knox County Sheriff's Office)

The home where the shooting took place.

The shooting happened in the 2400 block of Alcoa Highway around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

By ALEXIS ZOTOS

6 News Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) - Two Knox County parents are now facing charges in the death of their 6-month-old daughter.

The shooting happened in the 2400 block of Alcoa Highway around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Rural/Metro transported the 6-month-old baby girl to University of Tennessee Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.
The girl's parents, Ken Mason, 40, and Angela Major, 26, have now been charged with reckless homicide. According to the Knox County Sheriff's Office, both have an extensive criminal history.

Investigators say the parents were involved in a domestic dispute at the time of the shooting. Authorities are not releasing how many rounds were fired or where the child was shot. The handgun was recovered at the scene.

Major has also been charged with aggravated burglary, aggravated arson, theft and vandalism. There is also an outstanding warrant for Mason on failure to obey court orders. He also has two failures to appear on juvenile petitions.

Two other women from the scene of the shooting left with sheriff's deputies. Their role in the investigation is unclear.
Sheriff's deputies, detectives and a forensic team spent more than six hours collecting evidence and piecing together the scene at the home off Alcoa Highway.

Brandy Mecklemore, a friend of Angela Major, identified the baby girl as Kelsey in pictures on Major's Facebook page. She says she is in shock tonight.

"What the hell happened? What were you doing? Why was there a gun anywhere near that child?" Mecklemore asked while fighting back tears. 

Mecklemore said she has known Major for years.

Majors has four other children from different fathers, but they do not live with her, Mecklemore said.

"She lost custody of all her other four other children," she said.

Mecklemore said despite Majors' lengthy criminal history she tried to be a good mom and doesn't think she would intentionally hurt her child.

"I would pray to God when I say no [she wouldn't hurt her], that it is the truth. She doesn't pass off as the type of person who do that, she has had a lot of troubles, she's had a lot of bad things happen to her by her own doings," Mecklemore said.

Right now she is just struggling to understand how or why this could have happened.

"I have no clue what happened or how something this horrendous could happen to such a small child," she said.

http://www.wate.com/story/22634970/six-month-old-baby-shot-in-alcoa-highway-incident