Derek Neary
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jun 08/98) - A 10-year-old Kugluktuk girl was shot in the chest and killed Sunday after she her friends found some rifles in a shack.

Kristy "Maffa" Ayalik's remains were discovered close to the community shoreline by some boaters around 11 p.m. Sunday. The RCMP determined that Ayalik had been out with three female friends Sunday morning and came across the weapons in a storage shack.

The four girls were believed to have been playing with the rifles when one fired the .22-calibre, striking Ayalik in the chest. The three girls left the scene and never contacted the police.

A 14-year-old was taken into custody after the body was discovered but has been placed in the care of Social Services with charges pending.

Ayalik's body was transported to the University of Alberta in Edmonton, where a preliminary autopsy confirmed a gunshot was the cause of death.

The RCMP have questioned the 42-year-old Kugluktuk man who owns the rifle. Not all the weapons in the shack belong to him and police are tracking down the other owner.

No charges have yet been laid in relation to the incident. However, the rifles have been sent to the RCMP laboratory, also in Edmonton, for further examination and testing.

RCMP Cpl. Paul Moffitt of the Kugluktuk detachment said Ayalik's family members have expressed interest in using this tragedy to help convey the importance of safe firearms storage.

"If anything positive can come out of such a tragic event, it can be with (the family's) assistance and a realization in town with the dangers involved," Moffitt said.

"There is a realization here now, as never before, that accidents can happen and people can die, and it's all needless. We would like to formulate a local campaign at a local level ... but you can never replace the loss of a life."