A 10-year-old boy from California is facing a murder charge after fatally shooting a fellow 10-year-old boy using his father's gun.
The incident occurred in the afternoon of Dec. 30, in Sacramento when 53-year-old Arkete Davis sent his son to his car to get a pack of cigarettes. Instead, the young boy found his father's gun, took it, and showed it to another boy, who was identified as Keith "KJ" Frierson.
California Charges 10-Year-Old Boy With Murder
The former then bragged to his friend about the firearm that he found and he accidentally shot KJ in the head. While the victim was treated by EMTs, he was later declared dead at the hospital.
Sheriff's deputies later arrested Davis and his 10-year-old son and remanded the young boy to the Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility. There, officials charged him with murder for the death of KJ.
The boy's father had since thrown the gun away and was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on several gun-related charges as well as child endangerment and for being an accessory after the fact, as per Daily Kos.
The gun that was used in the shooting was reported stolen in 2017 and it was later found that Davis is a convicted felon who has a lengthy criminal history of theft, fraud, and felony drug charges that date back to 2011. He has had offenses in California and Texas.
Shortly after the shooting, deputies found the victim bleeding from the head and neck, and CPR was administered and other "life-saving efforts." It remains unclear whether or not the suspects have legal counsel for the case. Furthermore, the Sacramento County Public Defender's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the situation.
The shooter's father was being held in lieu of $500,000 bail as revealed by inmate records. Sheriff's officials also said that Davis was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday in regard to the incident.
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Fatally Shooting Fellow 10-Year-Old Boy
Juveniles in Sacramento County must be charged within 48 business hours of arrest or detention. While bail is not used, minors can be released to parents or legal guardians, according to Yahoo News.
The aunt of the victim described KJ as "smart, very intelligent, kind, loving, respectful" and as someone who had "a whole life to live." She added that her nephew went outside to ride his bike shortly before the fatal shooting.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper said that the death of the young victim was "completely avoidable." In his statement, the official said that they could not let KJ's murder be a one-day news story and then forgotten the next day.
Cooper argued that the issue of illegally possessing guns by those individuals who should not have such dangerous weapons and using them to commit violent crimes is all too true. He argued that this is an issue that the Sheriff's Department will work to address in 2024, said People.
KJ's aunt said that her nephew was not even outside for 15 minutes before he was fatally shot by the other 10-year-old boy. She argued that Davis was responsible for the young boy's death/
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