Police in the area are investigating a tragic incident in which an 11-year-old boy was fatally shot with a homemade firearm belonging to the victim’s friend’s father.
According to authorities, the 14-year-old alleged shooter used a homemade gun that had been left loaded in a drawer. The boy’s father reportedly admitted he had gone into town, leaving the weapon unsecured inside the house.
When officers arrived at the homestead, the 11-year-old was already dead. His body was found inside one of the houses. The teenage suspect fled immediately after the shooting, and police have launched a search to trace him.
Authorities say they are not ruling out possible charges against the father for negligence.
This incident comes just months after another fatal shooting in the same area. In October, an eight-year-old accessed his father’s firearm and accidentally shot his seven-year-old cousin dead raising further concern about unsafe firearm storage in local communities.