11-Year-Old Shoots Intruder: Could Middle Schooler Be Facing Murder Charges After Fatal Shooting?

An 11-year-old shot and killed an alleged intruder in St. Louis, leading to what could be murder charges against the young boy.

The incident took place this week, with police initially saying that the 11-year-old shot and killed a man trying to break into the boy’s home. The 11-year-old was home alone watching his 4-year-old sister, and reports initially indicated that two burglars tried to force their way into the home.

But neighbors told a very different story. Several who witnessed the shooting said it did not appear to be a home invasion, but rather an argument between the still-unidentified 11-year-old and 16-year-old Lamonte Streeter.

“It was not a break-in,” neighbor Donna Jackson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He shot him in the head.”

If the 11-year-old accused of shooting the intruder is charged with murder, the case could be influenced by recent legislative action in Missouri. A bill was introduced there that would eliminate life sentences without parole for juveniles convicted of murder.

State Senator Joe Keaveny has introduced a bill that would allow for other options in sentencing, including life with the possibility of parole.

“I’m a father of four,” Keaveny told Ozarks First. “14 and 16 year olds don’t always make the right decisions… I don’t see how we can write their lives off.”

The bill would mandate a 12- to 30-year sentence for a minor under 16 convicted of murder.

If police determined that the 11-year-old accused of shooting Lamonte Streeter did not act in self-defense, he could be facing murder charges. Earlier this summer, a 12-year-old was arrested on murder charges under circumstances similar to what the 11-year-old’s neighbors describe.

U.S. Marshalls arrested Jarrell Milton in connection with the shooting death of 31-year-old Jamymell Ray, KETV reported. Police said the man was shot in a drug deal that apparently turned into a robbery. A 17-year-old and 15-year-old were also arrested.

“All three suspects had guns,” Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said. “Two guns (were) recovered. To have young people at this age involved in that kind of violence is very troubling.”

Family members of the victim said police were right to seek murder charges, even with the young age of the suspects.

“No, I don’t feel bad for them,” said the victim’s girlfriend, Russien Cherry. “They did grown-people acts, so they should be treated like an adult.”

Details are still light in the case of the 11-year-old accused of shooting the intruder. While neighbors indicate that the shooting may not have gone down the way it was first reported, police have yet to release new details or announce if the boy is under investigation for murder.

[Image via Getty Images]