Coroner identifies 3-year-old girl, father killed in Trotwood shooting

A 911 caller said the child got ahold of the gun and it went off
A toddler and an adult are dead after a shooting at Belle Meadows Apartments on Outer Belle Drive in Trotwood Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. MARSHALL GORBY\STAFF

A toddler and an adult are dead after a shooting at Belle Meadows Apartments on Outer Belle Drive in Trotwood Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. MARSHALL GORBY\STAFF

A 22-year-old man and his 3-year-old daughter killed Thursday morning in a shooting at a Trotwood apartment have been identified.

Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Kent Harshbarger identified the man as Nico Elam and the girl as Trinity Elam.

Their cause and manner of death have not been determined at this time. The Trotwood Police Department is continuing to investigate.

Around 2:45 a.m., police responded to an apartment in the 200 block of Outer Belle Road on a report that a 3-year-old had been shot.

A woman who called to the report the shooting said the girl was shot after she got ahold of a gun and it went off, according to dispatch records. The 911 caller reportedly was not in the room at the time of the shooting and said they were called and told the child was shot.

The woman did not know where the girl was hurt, according to records.

When the first officer arrived, they heard a gunshot from inside as they approached the residence, according to Trotwood police. Officers immediately entered the apartment and found two people, later identified as Nico and Trinity Elam, with gunshot wounds.

Medics were called, but the girl and man both died at the scene.

“There is a familial relationship between both parties and at this time detectives are working to identify the chain of events that lead to their deaths,” read a press release from police.

Police are not searching for any suspects at this time, but ask anyone with information to call the Trotwood Police Department at 937-837-7771.

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