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A 5-year-old was fatally shot by accident on Thanksgiving Day by a Minnesota teen recording a video to post on social media with a group of four or five kids during a family gathering, according to local police.
Cops responded to a shooting about 10:20 Thursday on Florida Avenue where they found a child dead at the scene, the Brooklyn Park Police Department said Friday in a statement. The preliminary investigation discovered that a 13-year-old boy had shot the child as he and “several” other kids recorded “a social media video,” according to police.
“The initial investigation has determined that a 13-year-old male in the home was handling a gun,” the statement reads. “Several other juveniles were present as they were attempting to make a social media video.
“At some point the 13-year-old male shot the gun striking the 5-year-old male victim.”
The teen shooter, who fired “accidentally,” was arrested and is being held at Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center.
The 13-year-old could face manslaughter charges, according to Brooklyn Park Police Deputy Chief Mark Bruley. The gun owner may also face criminal charges depending on the conclusion of the investigation, according to a report.
“A preliminary investigation found that at some point about four to five youths had located a rifle at the home, started using the rifle out in the garage to do some type of social media type video,” he said, according to a local CBS affiliate. “This is a very unfortunate accident that requires a very detailed investigation, which is ongoing right now.”
Burley urged adult firearm owners to keep them out of the reach of kids.
“Lock them up, and lock the ammo up separate,” the deputy chief reportedly said. “We as adults, it’s our obligation to make sure [kids] don’t have access to them.”
A neighbor told WCCO that she empathizes with the teen shooter.
“I’m sure it’s an accident, you know. I’m sure he is freaking out,” she said. “He is only a kid so now he is losing his life and [a] 5-year-old lost his life.”
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