Nevada Shooter’s Parents May Have Provided Gun, Could Face Charges

The parents of a Nevada shooter who killed a teacher and wounded two students may face charges if it was determined that the semi-automatic handgun he used came from his home.

Police are looking into the shooting and trying to determine whether the 12-year-old shooter got the Ruger 9mm handgun from his home. The boy opened fire this week at Sparks Middle School, taking the life of a former Marine who taught at the school.

The shooter then took his own life, but his parents could still face consequences, Sparks Police Department Deputy Chief Tom Miller said.

“The potential is there [for charges to be filed],” he said.

Police are still searching for a motive for the shooting, and Miller declined to address rumors that the boy had been bullied.

Other students have made that claim, however.

“I saw kids pushing him around and doing a lot of mean things to him,” said classmate Faith Ebans.

“I guess one day he got tripped and my friends said, ‘Trip them back,” she added. “But I guess he just decided just to shoot them.”

Police said it will still take some time to determine if the parents of the Nevada shooter will be charged. Under Nevada law, no one under 18 can handle a gun without adult supervision. The crime can be a felony if police determine there was substantial risk that the child would use the firearm to commit a violent act.

The law would only apply if the parents either provided the gun to their son or failed to store it properly, however.

Even if the parents of the Nevada shooter are not charged by police, they could still face civil wrongful death charges for their son’s actions, legal experts say.