Kyra Scott Georgia teen girl shot dead by brother, 14 in botched ghost gun robbery. Black market weapons business going on from home.
A 13-year-old Georgia boy has been charged with murdering his 14-year-old teen sister after allegedly shooting her while opening gunfire on two men trying to steal one of his homemade ‘ghost guns’.
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said that Kyra Scott was killed while her younger brother, who had been manufacturing his own guns, was selling one of his weapons to two buyers.
Officers said that the 13-year-old had been buying parts online and constructing the weapons, including ‘semi-machine guns’, and selling them on in a black-market weapons business. Ghost guns are often desirable by criminals because they don’t have a serial number and are un-traceable.
Officers said that two men arrived at the family home in Douglasville, 20 miles west of Atlanta, on November 27 with the intention of purchasing one of the home-made weapons.
However, the pair then stole the weapon and attempted to run away, at which point the 13-year-old shot at them, allegedly accidentally hitting his sister instead.
‘don’t die, don’t die’
Cops say Kyra was shot by one of the homemade guns. Despite efforts to rush her to hospital, the teen girl was pronounced dead en route AJC reported.
Witness Jaquan Straugh said that Kyra’s brother had been yelling ‘don’t die, don’t die’ to his sister.
Following the incident, Kyra’s 13-year-old brother and one of the buyers – Yusef Jabryil McArthur El, 19, were arrested.
Douglas County Sheriff Tim Pounds said that Kyra’s brother has been charged with felony murder, while McArthur El has been charged with robbery and felony murder.
Authorities are currently still searching for the second buyer.
Speaking about the incident, Pounds said: ‘According to the investigation, he was shooting at the folks that took his weapon.
‘But instead, he shot his sister. And it’s so sad his sister’s death happened.’
13 year old boy making weapons and selling them on to the streets
Adding: ‘A 13-year-old kid, doesn’t weigh but about 80 pounds, was able to make a weapon from start to finish. At 13 years old.’
Pounds said the boy had ordered all the parts he needed to make guns, including semiautomatic weapons, and the boy had been selling them.
Authorities declined to say how he was making the weapons or how long he had been selling them for.
Pounds said: ‘This kid is 13-years-old and he’s making weapons, semi-machine guns, and selling those weapons on the streets of Douglas County, Carrol County, Atlanta.’
He added that he had ‘never in my entire career’ heard of anything like that.
As of Wednesday, El was being held at the Douglas County jail, and the 13-year-old was at a youth detention center.
Teen girl victim of gun violence
Pounds said ‘ghost guns’ – self-assembled weapons often made with parts sold online – are particularly troubling to law enforcement because they don’t have serial numbers and can’t be tracked.
Lt. Jon Mauney said the investigation continues, and additional charges are possible. Detectives hope to learn how many weapons the 13-year-old made and whether others in the home knew about the guns, Mauney said.
Kyra was a student at Chapel Hill High School, where grief counselors were brought in to help students and staff members.
‘Kyra Scott, by all accounts, was a beautiful and kind soul, and nothing that is done in this case will bring her back,’ District Attorney Dalia Racine said. ‘The cost of losing our children is simply too high of a price to pay, and we must do better.’
Following Kyra’s death, her family set up a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money – which has already seen donations totalling more than $16,530.
In the description for the fundraiser, Kyra’s older sister wrote: ‘Kyra was the kindest little girl you would’ve ever met. She had the biggest heart and always wanted to be around her family.
‘Kyra was 14 years old. I never thought I would lose my sister to gun violence. This is a very difficult time for our family and we ask for your prayers.’
