NEW YORK, May 31 (UPI) -- New York authorities were considering what charges were appropriate to file against a 9-year-old girl accused of stabbing a playmate to death.
Police say the girl fought with an 11-year-old friend over a ball, grabbed a knife from a table and stabbed the older girl in the chest, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The victim, Queen Washington, was declared dead at a hospital shortly after the Monday afternoon incident.
Because the suspect is younger than 14, the case was sent to Family Court.
"We're not sure what we're going to do yet. We are going to consult with some mental health experts and child abuse experts," Larry Busching, chief of the Family Court Division of New York City told the Times.
People who knew both girls said they were so close they were almost sisters, The New York Post said.
The Post said Queen Washington had been left in the care of the 9-year-old's mother. When the woman briefly stepped away, the girls fought over a ball with the older girl eventually hitting the younger one, after which the 9-year-old allegedly grabbed the knife.
