MEMPHIS, Tenn. — No charges have been filed in the death of an 11-year-old killed Friday after police say he found an adult’s gun in an apartment.
Police say they are checking the trajectory of the bullet to determine if it was self-inflicted, but so far they say it appears to be just a tragic accident.
The boy was visiting at the Cambridge Station Apartments off South Mendenhall when the visit turned tragic.
“Gun shot. I just heard a gun shot in my house when I was in the living room,” one neighbor said.
The neighbor says the boy and another child were alone with no adults at home. At some point, a gun was fired and the bullet struck the 11-year-old, killing him.
A woman who answered the door at the apartment where the shooting happened said the little boy was her cousin.
She said he did not live there, but wouldn’t tell us much more saying her own son was trying to deal with everything and it’s been too much. She closed the door when we asked where the child found the gun.
Police say the gun belonged to the homeowner, who had it in her room, and the children had been told not to go into the room.
According to District Attorney General Amy Weirich’s office, the boy found the pistol under a mattress in the bedroom of the adult who was not prohibited from owning a firearm.
“The adult was not in the apartment at the time, but had told the boy and his 13-year-old cousin moments earlier to stay out of her closed-door bedroom. The gun was in a holster and the safety was on. After considering all of the circumstances, including the age of the victim and the fact that the pistol was not in an easily accessible location, this tragic death has been ruled accidental,” Weirich ruled.
Police offer free gun locks for all gun owners. Just go to your local police precinct to get one.
