An 11-year-old boy from White Pine, Tenn. has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his eight-year-old neighbour.
WBIR News said the unidentified fifth grader allegedly shot and killed the girl, identified by residents as Maykayla Dyer, when she refused to let the boy see her puppy.
According to authorities, the boy used his father’s 12-gauge, single-shot shotgun to shoot the victim in the chest. Dyer was pronounced dead in hospital.
Misty Edwards, a resident of the White Pine area, said her niece, Hannah, was playing with Dyer during the incident and witnessed the shooting. According to Edwards, the shooting happened suddenly as the girls were playing.
“A gun should be under lock and key if you have children,” another neighbour told WBIR. “Nowhere in arm’s reach of a child.”
The investigation is ongoing.
Comments