Brooklyn park Minnesota shooting: 5 year old boy shot dead by 13 year old teen making social media video on Thanksgiving Day. Boy faces manslaughter charges.
A 5-year-old boy in Brooklyn, Park, Minnesota, was shot and killed on Thanksgiving Day by a 13-year-old teen who accidentally fired a gun while a group of kids were making a video for social media during a family gathering.
Brooklyn Park Police responded to a home on Florida Avenue around 10:20 p.m. Thursday in response to reports of a child who had been shot, police said in a statement on Facebook Friday.
Officers ‘attempted to render first aid; however, the child died at the scene,’ police said.
Police said a 13-year-old boy, described as the victim’s relative was ‘handling a gun’ inside the home. ‘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.’
Gun owner could face criminal charges
It remains unclear exactly what circumstances led up to the shooting, but at some point the teen ‘shot the gun striking the 5-year-old,’ police said, adding investigators believe the shooting was accidental.
The teen was arrested and is currently in custody at the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center, police said. It remained unclear if adults were present at the time of the shooting or who owned the gun.
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 a launched investigation, according to CBS Minnesota.
‘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,’ Bruley told the CBS affiliate. ‘This is a very unfortunate accident that requires a very detailed investigation, which is ongoing right now.’
