Confused by noise outside his window, a man shot and killed granddaughter, police say

Joel Shannon | USA TODAY

An Ohio teen was fatally shot Wednesday night as she attempted to enter the home she shared with her grandparents.

The 19-year-old woman had no keys with her and was knocking on her grandfather's bedroom window to be let inside the Columbus home, police say. The 72-year-old man, Booker Moody, is accused of shooting through the window, not knowing his granddaughter was on the other side.

Moody's daughter told local news that the killing was an accident. "My dad is 72 years old, he got dementia so he don't remember. ... I know personally if he knew it was her he wouldn't have killed her," Traci Brown told ABC 6. The victim is Brown's niece, the station reports.

Brown said her father isn't used to people knocking on his window. The incident happened around 11 p.m. local time; Brown said her father thought the noise was someone attempting to break into the home.

Police say Moody shot through the window without realizing his granddaughter was on the other side.

When police arrived, they found the unresponsive victim in the home's front yard. Officers dragged the victim into the street as the scene was considered an active shooter scenario.

The teen was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Moody has been charged with murder and will appear in court on Friday, according to online records from the Franklin County Ohio Sheriff's Office.