Dad accidentally shoots teenage daughter

A teenage girl died on Boxing Day after her dad accidentally shot her in the face with a gun he thought wasn't loaded.

Kaitlyn Pullam, 17, died two days after her family made the heartbreaking decision to switch off her life support machine on Christmas Eve.

The youngster was shot on December 20 at her home in Ohio. Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs told KFVS news her father thought the gun was not loaded and it went off by mistake.

Cops found Kaitlyn in her bedroom unresponsive and a what appeared to be a single gunshot wound to her face.

She didn't have a pulse when officers arrived.

Paramedics rushed her to hospital where her heart restarted, but she remained in a coma until her family were forced into their desperate decision on December 24.

Witnesses said the black powder rifle went off and shot her through the wall.

Pastor David Stewart said:

"They [the family] just greatly appreciate everything that people have done. "They've have been surprised by the number of people who've wanted to be involved and connecting. "They've been overwhelmed by the amount and outpouring of generosity."

Pastor Stewart described Kaitlyn as an intelligent girl who had dreams of working in forensics.

"She had goals, she was driven, she was going to accomplish those," he said. "In fact, she really had already graduated, but was going to hang out for just one more semester just to walk with everybody else." The family plans to donate Kaitlyn's organs.