Suspect claims he was cleaning gun in shooting death of 15-year-old girl, police say

NORTHWOOD, Ohio (WTVG/Gray News) – Authorities in Ohio said an 18-year-old has been taken into custody after a 15-year-old girl was found shot to death in an apartment over the weekend.

The Lake Township Police Department said Symini Moore, an honor student at Woodmore High School, was killed in a shooting on Friday.

A GoFundMe page for her funeral expenses said Moore worked at Granny’s Kitchen and was an honor roll student who enjoyed sports and other extracurricular, activities like choir and the Future Farmers of America.

Police said Jakob Heintzelman was arrested on a charge of reckless homicide and is being held without bond.

Authorities said Heintzelman told them he was cleaning his gun when it went off, hitting and killing Moore.

The Lake Township Police Department said there were four people in the apartment when the gun went off. Moore was at the apartment with Heintzelman, his girlfriend and another male.

First responders were then called to the apartment on the report of a person shot. When they arrived, they found Moore had died from her injuries.

“If you ever met Symini Rai Moore, you remember her smile. It was the kind that lit up a room instantly—the kind that made people feel seen, welcomed, and cared for without her ever having to say a word," the fundraising page for Moore’s family read. “At just 15 years old, Symini carried a kindness and compassion far beyond her years.”

Donations can be made for Moore’s memorial expenses at this GoFundMe.