The circumstances behind the boys’ obtaining of the pistol are not yet known, but police said the incident was “just a truly unfortunate tragic accident”.
A teenage boy has been fatally shot dead by his friend, according to the police.
The two youngsters, ages 13 and 15, left their homes early on Saturday morning before meeting at a church parking lot in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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According to West Jordan Police Lieutenant Richard Bell, one of the guys carried a gun, which unintentionally went off, killing the 13-year-old.
According to the police officer, the 15-year-old called 911 right away, frightened and eager to rescue his buddy.
It’s unclear how the boys got their hands on the weapon, but Lt Bell said they had no idea it was loaded.
He stated in remarks published by The Salt Lake Tribune:
As we began investigating and digging into this case to determine what had happened, really what we found is that it was just a truly unfortunate tragic accident.
On suspicion of manslaughter, the older kid was sent to a juvenile prison centre.
Lt Bell said:
I think a good takeaway from this to gun owners is to make sure your firearms are secured and that your firearms and ammunition are stored away from each other.
What this was earlier this morning was a series of, frankly, poor decisions made by some adolescents that two families are now going to have to deal with for the rest of their lives.
Image Credit: Getty