SALT LAKE CITY — A 7-year-old girl who was battling for her life in a Salt Lake City hospital after being shot by her mother in Wyoming has passed away.
Olivia, age 7, and her three sisters were allegedly shot by their mother who then turned the gun on herself.
Police in Wyoming believe 32-year-old Tranyelle Harshman shot her four young daughters on Monday, killing two of them instantly. The surviving 2-year-old later died, while Olivia was transported to Primary Children's Hospital for medical care.
Sadly, the family announced Sunday on their GoFundMe page that Olivia did not make it.
"Olivia is with her sisters now. She gained her angel wings yesterday at 3:44pm. She fought so so hard up til the last minute!" the update read in part. "She kept fighting through it all though until her heart stopped. We are grateful she hung on as long as she did so we could get some valuable time with our sweet baby girl the last five days."
The Big Horn County Sheriff's Office said deputies first responded to the shooting at 1:30 p.m. Monday after a 911 call was made by a woman who heard gunshots inside a residence and added that "her daughters had been shot." The woman, later identified as Harshman, told the dispatcher that she could be found upstairs in the house and she was also going to shoot herself.
"The dispatcher pleaded with [Harshman] over the phone for [her] to remain on the line until responding suits arrived," the sheriff's office said in a release. "[Harshman] stated multiple times that she could not do that and that it was too late. Multiple attempts to keep her on the line failed and the call was disconnected."
KTVQ in Billings, Montana reports that Harshman later died in a hospital from her self-inflicted gunshot.
When deputies arrived at the home, they found two children ages 2 and 9 dead with gunshot wounds to the head and two other children — ages 2 and 7 — also with gunshot wounds to the head but still alive. The two-year-old later died of her injuries.
After first being transported to a hospital in Billings, Montana, Olivia was then airlifted to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, where she died on Saturday.
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For those struggling with thoughts of suicide, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can now be reached by simply dialing 988 any time for free support. Resources are also available online at utahsuicideprevention.org.
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Resources for domestic violence victims/prevention (free, 24/7, confidential):
Utah Domestic Violence Coalition
- Hotline: 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- Online help: udvc.org
National Domestic Violence Hotline
- 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
- Online live chat: thehotline.org
- If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or in an emergency, call 9-1-1 immediately.
