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Dad cleaning gun fatally shoots 6-year-old girl in the head

SALEM, Ind. (AP) — Indiana police say a 6-year-old girl was shot in the head and killed when the handgun her father was cleaning accidentally fired in southern Indiana.

Indiana State Police say Makayla S. Bowling was pronounced dead at a hospital after the shooting in rural Salem Friday night.

Police say her father was cleaning the gun inside a home Friday night and thought the weapon was unloaded, but it discharged, striking the girl in the head. The father’s name hasn’t been released.

Police say detectives don’t believe foul play was involved. The shooting remains under investigation.

Salem is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Indianapolis.