Kasey Dargis

Cocked gun found in bushes fires, killing sister By Jill Taylor
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

STUART — Amy Dargis doesn't know anything about guns, but when she saw one in the bushes outside her East Stuart apartment Sunday evening, she thought she should pick it up before someone got hurt, according to family members.

She didn't know it was loaded, cocked and ready to fire until it went off and her sister, Kasey, was left bleeding to death on the sidewalk.

"As she was dying, Kasey looked up at her and said, 'I love you so much,' " said Christine Taylor, mother of Amy, 19, and Kasey, who turned 17 last week. "Those two were best friends."

Stuart police are investigating and have provided few details about the case but described it as an accidental shooting in initial statements.

Taylor said the sisters had spent the afternoon together and were coming to her home on Belgrave Terrace for a family Easter dinner. Most of the family was there waiting when news of the shooting arrived.

They were leaving Amy Dargis' apartment at 330 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. about 5 p.m. when they noticed the gun, Taylor said. They were worried about children in the neighborhood finding it, she said.

The gun had been reported stolen from West Palm Beach, said police, who were trying to trace it from there.

Police have been battling drug problems in the area for years, and it's not uncommon for suspected dealers to hide drugs and even weapons when they are worried they might be stopped or searched.

"It was a horrible, horrible accident," Taylor said. "We know nothing about guns. They've never been around guns."

Friends gathered on the stoop of the apartment Monday, leaving roses and photographs and cards in memory of the teenager whom they described as a happy, loving young woman.

Taylor said her daughter dreamed of a career in medicine, helping children. She planned to start nursing school and hoped to do well enough to enroll in medical school.

A Martin County native, she was a standout in her early years at Port Salerno Elementary School, earning straight A's, excelling in math and even finding time to join the cheerleading squad, according to school reports.

She ran into some rough patches in high school, her mother said, but was working those out and finishing her high school work in the adult education program.

"She was a wonderful young lady, full of life," Taylor said.

Funeral arrangements were incomplete Monday. Taylor said she hopes to establish a fund to honor her daughter's memory.

"I'm trying to come up with something against guns," she said.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Detective Jaylee Porcelli at (772) 220-3923.