A 7-year-old boy died Saturday night after an illegal firework shot through an apartment window on the July 4 in Dunn, city leaders said.
Police and emergency officials said the boy’s death stemmed from the accidental discharge of an illegal firework shortly before 11 p.m. at Ashbrooke Apartments on East Pope Street.
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Dunn Police Chief Timothy "Lynn" Gay said Brittany Armstrong faces a warrant for involuntary manslaughter.
"There are other ways to celebrate July Fourth other than this," Gay said. "We're talking about someone setting off fireworks illegally in the middle of an apartment complex. It penetrated that window, and it caught that apartment on fire, and someone died. And moreover, a 7-year-old child died, and that's a horrible tragedy, and someone has to be held accountable for that, and so someone is going to be held accountable."
Gay said Armstrong was arrested Tuesday afternoon at a Fayetteville hotel after she did not turn herself in. Investigators said she lives in the complex where the fire happened.
Family members identified the 7-year-old as Cashmere Parker. They attended a news conference Tuesday where authorities provided updates on the investigation.
"She has killed a child; my baby brother and we are having to deal with the pain and the heartbreak," Parker's sister Alicia Quick said.
Harnett County Fire Marshal Rodney Daniels said the fireworks were positioned about 100 feet away before going through the apartment window.
"They were set up...away from the structure. Most of these fireworks manufacturers recommend a 50-foot clearance for this particular type of firework," Daniels said. "We had remnants of fireworks about 150 feet from the discharge location...They were improperly secured."
Investigators have identified the firework's manufacturer but have not been able to review any discharge instructions for the cake-style, multi-shot firework, according to Daniels.
Two other people were taken to the hospital. Their conditions were unknown. Three people were treated at the scene. Four apartment units were damaged in total.
Gay said that the apartment complex sent a letter to residents before Saturday reminding them to celebrate the holiday safely.
A memorial for Parker was outside the building as mangled and burned wreckage from the fire remains. His loved ones planned to hold a candlelight vigil Tuesday evening.
"He was full of love and he loved dinosaurs. That was his thing," Quick said. "He was so heavy on loving on his parents and loving on us."
A fundraiser was launched to help the child's family with funeral expenses.
Harnett County emergency officials said the deadly incident is a reminder of the unpredictable hazards illegal fireworks can pose beyond recommended safety zones.
