ANKENY, Iowa — The father of an Ankeny 4-year-old who fatally shot herself in the head is now charged in her death.
Akeem Holmes, 33, is charged with Neglect or Abandonment of a Dependent Person, Involuntary Manslaughter and Making Firearms Available to a Minor in the May death of 4-year-old Savannah Holmes.
The charges come less than a month after police officers responded to a call of a child with a gunshot wound on NE 5th Street in Ankeny.
According to a search warrant, Akeem was in the middle of feeding Savannah and her brother when he heard two men "pounding" at the door. Fearing a confrontation, Akeem grabbed the gun, only to leave it on the couch before going outside to talk to the men.
While her father was outside, Savannah shot herself in the face with the unattended firearm, court documents say.
A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Friday, July 1.
May 16, 2022: Ankeny Police investigate 4-year-old's death from gunshot wound