Man charged in deadly shooting of 15-year-old daughter in Dayton
Apr. 16—A 38-year-old man has been charged in the shooting death of his 15-year-old daughter at a Dayton boarding house Sunday.
Kenneth Paul Farler III is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, child endangering and having weapons while under disability, said Dayton police Maj. Brian Johns. Farler is being held in the Montgomery County Jail as of Tuesday afternoon.
Around 12:20 p.m. Sunday, Dayton officers responded to a reported shooting in the 400 block of Bowen Street, just south of U.S. 35, near Xenia Avenue and Steve Whalen Boulevard.
When they arrived they found 15-year-old Kendra Farler dead in an upstairs room.
"To say it was a tragedy is an understatement," Johns said.
When investigators spoke to Kenneth Farler and the teen's stepmother, they initially told police the teen was shot by her 15-year-old stepsibling, who is autistic and nonverbal.
"Upon further investigation and interviews, that was later proved to be false and that the young lady was shot and killed by her father inside the Bowen Street address," Johns said.
At this time the stepmother is not being charged and she is cooperating with the investigation, he added.
When asked what made investigators question the initial statements provided to police, Johns said some of the comments didn't match.
"We have great investigators here at Dayton Police Department and they knew right away that those stories weren't consistent and upon further questioning got admission to the crime," Johns said.
While police are still reviewing evidence, Johns said he does not think the shooting was an accident.
"I would say it's not an accident," he said. "Our victim was asking him to not point the shotgun at her prior to her death. That's not an accident."
Johns noted Kenneth Farler is legally not allowed to own a firearm due to a previous felony conviction related to drug trafficking. He added investigators are working to determine who provided Kenneth Farler with the shotgun and other firearms he had in the boarding room.
"(This is) definitely a tragedy that could have been avoided," Johns said.
