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STRATFORD, N.J. (AP) — Authorities say a New Jersey police officer left his personal .357-caliber revolver loaded and unsecured on a shelf before his 8-year-old daughter fatally shot herself.
The Camden County Prosecutor's Office announced child endangerment charges Friday against Kenneth Righter, of Stratford.
Righter also worked as an assistant firearms instructor.
He has been suspended from the Stratford Police Department.
The girl was found by a sibling on New Year's Eve. Righter's other children were 14 and 17 at the time of the shooting.
Righter's attorney says it's a "very, very difficult time" for the family. He says the charges will be addressed "through the context of the system."
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