A 14-year-old boy accidentally killed his 11-year-old brother in Florida with a gun that was reported stolen a few days earlier, authorities say.
The 11-year-old was shot dead Friday by his older brother at their home in St. Petersburg, the St. Petersburg Police Department said in a social media post Friday.
Police said that officers responded to a call about a shooting at a house around 12:15 p.m. Friday. They arrived at the scene to find the boy with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The two brothers, who were home that day on account of school being closed along with their 13-year-old sister, were playing with the gun when it went off, accidentally killing the younger boy, his brother told the police. The police did not specify if an adult was present at home during the time. However, the Tampa Bay Times reported that the children's mother was not at home at the time of the incident and was involved in a car accident when she heard about the incident.
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Yolanda Fernandez, a spokesperson of the St. Petersburg Police Department told USA TODAY over email Monday that detectives have not yet determined where and how the 14-year-old found the gun. Multiple media outlets reported that the teenager had found the gun in an alley.
Fernandez says "the gun was stolen from an unlocked car a couple of days" but that police don't know exactly who stole the gun.
The official also went on to say that an investigation into the incident is ongoing, and that the Victims Assistance division is helping the family deal with the tragic loss.
No charges have been filed against the teenager yet, Fernandez said.
The 14-year-old told the police that no one at home knew he had a gun, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
“Kids make poor decisions occasionally,” St. Petersburg Police Department assistant chief of investigations Mike Kovacsev said to the Tampa Bay Times. “When you add a firearm to that mix, it’s a deadly decision. And you can’t take it back. You can’t put the bullet back in the gun.”
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @saman_shafiq7.
