A Georgia man that was first arrested on child cruelty charges is now facing an upgraded charge of murder after his 4-year-old niece was shot on March 28, 2022.
Officers responded to a report of a person shot that night, as Janiyah Jenkins suffered a gunshot wound. She was taken to the hospital by a family member but died the next morning.
Levante Cummings was arrested on one count of second-degree child cruelty. On March 29, police said that Cummings had also been charged with second-degree murder. In Georgia, the charge of second-degree child cruelty involves criminal negligence and can be upgraded to second-degree murder if the victim dies.
Police say they still don’t know who fired the shot, and Jenkins’ mother told Channel 2 News the shooting was accidental. She says that her daughter shot herself while Cummings was sleeping and left his gun sitting out.
