Police say two teen boys accidentally shot and killed a 12-year-old girl during a family gathering Saturday night in Cheltenham, Md.

Police were called to the scene shortly before 10 p.m. and found Glenn C. Ellis, 12, of the 13500 block of Duhart Road in Germantown, with a gunshot wound to her upper body. The girl had reportedly been attending a family gathering at the home on Farrar Avenue.

An early investigation revealed Ellis two teen boys found the loaded shotgun in an upstairs bedroom, and one of the boys  discharged the weapon, striking Ellis.

The girls mother, Jarita Mercer talked to ABC 7/NewsChannel 8 reporter Brianne Carter and described her daughter as "sassy" and very "outgoing."

"She was a daddy's girl; she was daddy's pretty girl; she was our midget. I just love my baby," Mercer explained. "I just love my baby."
Officials say the gun should have been locked away. "State law requires that weapons in a home at all times must be secured," said Stephen Pacheco, a Prince George's County officer.

Tiffani Jennings lives across the street from where the incident happened, and says she is at a loss for words. "I can't even understand how they would feel, because I don't know what I would do if that was one of my brothers," Jennings said. 

No charges have been fired at this time. Police are investigating the incident even though they likely say it was an accident.

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