Boy, 10, killed in Lancaster shooting was shot by friend also age 10, sheriff says
The 10-year-old Lancaster boy killed Nov. 15 was fatally wounded by a neighbor boy who found a gun under a mattress, deputies said.
No charges have been filed against the boy, also age 10, who deputies believe was handling the gun when it went off, said Barry Faile, Lancaster County Sheriff.
The case is being turned over to prosecutors with the 6th Circuit Solicitor’s Office to determine if the child who fired the weapon will face criminal charges, Faile said. Randy Newman, 6th Circuit Solicitor, has not said what charges, if any, the accused shooter could face.
Faile described the death as a tragic loss of life. The boys involved were friends, Faile said.
“This was a heartbreaking and tragic loss for the family of this 10-year-old victim,” Faile said. “Although we are confident in the basic facts of this incident, this is an ongoing investigation.”
The boy whom investigators believe fired the shot has not been identified by authorities because of his age, Faile said.
Deputies have charged the mother of the accused shooter with felony child neglect, Faile said. The mother was arrested Dec. 20, then released on bond, Faile said.
However, the mother’s name has not been released, said Doug Barfield, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
“The mother of the child believed to have used the gun was charged by our office,” Barfield said. “But we are not saying who she is to protect the identity of the juvenile involved. This case involved a minor and that minor’s name is not being released.”
Lancaster County Coroner and sheriff’s office officials also have not released the name of the child who died.
The incident happened around 4 p.m. Nov. 15 at a mobile home park on Coastal Way just outside the Lancaster city limits, police and coroner officials said.
Deputies recovered the 9 millimeter handgun and other evidence that showed the shooting happened inside the home where the shooter lived, Barfield said. The gun belonged to a person who lived in the accused shooter’s home, deputies said. Officials have not said who owned the gun.
Deputies were able to interview the juvenile believed to be the shooter on Nov. 15, and again Nov. 22, Barfield said.
The two boys were playing in the home of the alleged shooter after school, Barfield said. The victim lived nearby, Barfield said.
The two boys were the only people in the home when the shooting happened, Barfield said.
“The child was aware of the presence of the pistol under the mattress and took it out,” Barfield said. “The boys were playing in the living room of the home, and the pistol discharged one time, while the child who lived in the home was handling it.”
The boy accused of firing the shot then carried the victim outside where he was found by others, Barfield said.
Karla Knight Deese, Lancaster County Coroner, said the victim died at Medical University of South Carolina hospital in Lancaster.
The shooting of a juvenile in Lancaster is the second in 2019. In January, a girl was shot when other juveniles who were unsupervised had a gun, Lancaster Police Department officers said.
In 2017, a Lancaster boy, 2, died when he was was able to get a gun that had been left on a table in a Lancaster home.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
