A 34-year-old Illinois man has handed himself over to police in connection with the fatal shooting of his 14-year-old daughter.
This development came a month after the child passed away in the hospital, while a 58-year-old woman, Karen A. Schwarze, is also facing prosecution for trying to conceal the tragedy.
The local Monroe County Jail police have since charged the girl’s father, David Schultheis, for “knowingly discharg[ing] a firearm in a reckless manner [and] endangering the bodily safety of another person.”
The 34-year-old man took a shot at a protected bird in a brick building
Image credits: Amanda Schultheis
The incident took place on July 21 at 1:34 p.m. when Schultheis tried to shoot a buzzard that had entered a brick building.
In his bid to avoid getting hit by a ricochet, he kept his head outside the door.
His aim was true, and he struck the bird, but the bullet went through the window and slammed into his daughter, Emma, as she played outside.
Image credits: Amanda Schultheis
“Schultheis inserted only his arm into the room — keeping his head outside the doorway to avoid potential ricochet — before pulling the trigger,” the Monroe Sheriff’s Department confirmed.
The father handed himself over to local law enforcement after his daughter passed away
The girl was immediately rushed to hospital, where attempts were made to save her life.
The efforts were futile, and her father surrendered to the Monroe Police Department, where he was processed before being released.
Image credits: Amanda Schultheis
On August 26, the department handed the case over to the Monroe County State’s Attorney’s Office, and on September 2, Schultheis was formally charged.
Karen Schwarze, whose relation to the man and his daughter remains unknown, is expected to surrender to the police soon.
Emma’s life was taken less than a week before her birthday
The 58-year-old has been accused of hiding the firearm used in the incident, trying to hide the 14-year-old’s demise, and trying to “influence others not to speak with law enforcement officers during the early stages of the investigation,” per the police report.
Image credits: Amanda Schultheis
She thus faces charges of “concealment of a homicidal [demise], which is a Class 3 felony, and obstructing justice, a Class 4 felony.”
In a media release, Monroe County’s Sgt. Justin Biggs noted: “There are no words that can adequately express the heartbreak and gravity of this tragic event.”
“While this incident may have been preventable,” he cautioned, “our obligation is not to dwell in speculation but to uncover and present the facts with integrity.”
Image credits: Amanda Schultheis
Emma’s life was snuffed out less than a week before her fifteenth birthday.
The local Sheriff called out the 34-year-old father for his “poor decisions”
The local Sheriff Neal Rohlfing later told the Bellville News Democrat that Schultheis “was shooting in an unsafe direction and made some poor choices in [his] opinion, and unfortunately it resulted in his daughter’s [demise].”
Image credits: Emma Schultheis
“Everyone should always use caution when using and handling firearms. Treat every firearm as it’s loaded. You should always know your backdrop.”
He further noted he and his staffers felt “terrible” for Schultheis and his family.
Emma’s mother described her as “a wonderful, helpful, sweet little girl”
As seen from her Facebook profile, Emma participated in school sports and livestock competitions.
Image credits: Emma Schultheis
She entered a steer and a heifer into the Clinton County Fair in Carlyle on July 16 and won second and first place for the animals, respectively.
Then, on July 26, five days after her passing, the Monroe County Fair paid tribute to her.
“She was a wonderful, helpful, sweet little girl,” her mother, Amanda, was reported to have said of her at the time. “She was our best friend.”
Some say he was not supposed to be shooting buzzards in Illinois to start with
Image credits: Amanda Schultheis
The public is aghast at the way the family handled the incident.
One person wrote: “So… the people involved in this said oh it was just a tragic accident let’s just cover it up???? And they got to walk around free and are still walking around free?”
“What else have they been up to? What else are they covering up?” the person wondered.
As if in response, another netizen observed: “It’s illegal to [shoot] a buzzard in Illinois.”
“Both Turkey Buzzards and Black Buzzards. Harming or killing of these protected Buzzards can result in fines or jail time.”
Some netizens see the incident as beyond tragic
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