A 10-year-old boy fatally shot his 12-year-old brother as the two played with a gun they found inside a St. Louis, Missouri home, police said.
The shooting happened Tuesday night in a north St. Louis neighborhood, KMOV-TV reported. Police said the boys were with a parent who was getting a haircut in the home when the older boy was shot in the face.
EMS responded and pronounced the victim deceased at the scene. A woman 36-year-old Aja Johnson was taken into custody for “Endangering the Welfare of a Child Resulting in Death” after claiming ownership of the firearm.
At the time it’s unclear of the woman’s relationship to the children, although she is not believed to be the mother per tips that have been coming in.
They identified the12-year-old as LaFrance Johnson.
The death follows a spate of shootings in St. Louis involving children handling guns. On Friday, two young cousins who were livestreaming from a St. Louis apartment died when one child fatally shot the other before killing herself in what family members have said was an accident.
In February, a 12-year-old girl was wounded in an accidental self-inflicted shooting.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Maj. Ryan Cousins urged residents to use gun locks.
“As an agency, we will come out and teach everyone how to use them,” Cousins said. “We do understand people are going to own guns; however, to protect these children, we want to ensure these guns are secured safely.”
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