On a summer afternoon in Chubbuck, Idaho, on July 30, 2014, a playdate turned into a tragedy that ended the life of 5-year-old Noelle Aston Shawver, a White female from Blackfoot. The young girl was at the home of Rusty and Ashlee Lish, playing with their 5-year-old son in the master bedroom. While the adults were in an adjacent room, a gunshot suddenly rang out.
Rushing into the bedroom, the adults found Noelle with a gunshot wound to her chest.
Emergency services were immediately called, and she was transported to Portneuf Medical Center, but the injuries she sustained were too severe, and she passed away later that day. The weapon involved was a. 22 caliber rifle that the other child had found in the room.
In the subsequent investigation, police discovered several other firearms in the master bedroom that were unsecured and within reach of the children. These included a loaded 12-gauge shotgun with a round in the chamber, a loaded 7-millimeter rifle, and a loaded Glock handgun. The homeowners, Rusty and Ashlee Lish, were later charged with misdemeanor injury to a child. The Bannock County Prosecutor stated that while the adults were not the direct actors in the shooting, their alleged negligence in leaving unsecured firearms accessible to children created the setting for the tragic incident. The couple pleaded not guilty to the charges.
