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Mississippi Boy, 11, Accused Of Fatally Shooting Younger Brother In Backyard While Mother’s At Work

By Angelica N. Sumter
Published on: 14:02 PST, Aug 16, 2016

An 11-year-old boy in Byhalia, Mississippi is being accused of fatally shooting his younger brother in the backyard while their mother was at work, according to WDAM.

At around 6 p.m. on Monday, August 15, police officials arrived at a home on Rebecca Drive after receiving a call from a neighbor about a shooting.

When police arrived at the scene, they discovered two children in the home, but one of them – a 9-year-old boy – was lying dead on the floor from multiple gunshot wounds.

The oldest boy, whose name has not been revealed, told police officials that they lived with their mother, who was away at work, and their father lived out-of-town.

He went on to say that after their mother left, they went into the woods behind their home and he shot his brother once in the head and once in the arm before dragging his body into the house.

A next door neighbor, who babysits their 5-year-old sibling, went to check on the children and discovered the child bleeding on the floor from multiple gunshot wounds.

Another neighbor, Gabriel Ingram, heard the commotion and “tried to help.” He said, “When I came there was another guy in there giving the kid CPR. The kid was still alive. I mean, he was gasping for air.”

“He was trying to make it.”

As they worked diligently to save the boy’s life, Ingram said they took the oldest boy “outside cause we didn’t want him to see his little brother gasping for air.”

Paramedics and neighbors were unable to save the boy’s life. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

His body was taken to a crime lab in Jackson for an autopsy.

Ingram was overwhelmed with emotion as he spoke with reporters, saying “I know these kids. These kids know me. I take them fishing and everything.”

“It sucks. It is kids. You can’t charge a kid with something you got to grow up to do. I mean he was playing.”

Another neighbor, Rick Markle, told reporters that while the mother is away at work, he sees the two brothers “just out here in the yard playing all the time.”

After learning that a 9-year-old boy was allegedly shot and killed by his older brother, neighbor Debbi Wilbanks was deeply saddened to hear the news.

She said, “I heard the shots. A child. It’s unthinkable. I cried when it happened.”

“Losing a kid is the most horrific thing you can go through. They still got a long road to go through now with the other son.”

Criminal investigator Kelly McMillen said, “Right now we’re just combing the inside, along with the resident fire personnel.”

“We are about to comb the woods behind the house for additional evidence to basically determine what happened inside the house.”

Police took the Byhalia boy into custody and he was later “taken for a psychiatric evaluation,” according to the Washington Times.

The following day, police discovered the.22-caliber gun in the woods, which was about 400 to 500 feet away from the home.

Ingram said, “He shouldn’t have had a gun in his possession.”

“We want to overturn every stone, we want to go through every bit of information because basically at this point we’re hunting evidence,” said Mullen.

During youth court in Highland Springs, a judge ordered the child, who is being accused of fatally shooting his younger brother, to remain in custody while an investigation ensues.

Mullen said, “He just kind of stares off, not really wanting to say a whole lot or talk about it a whole lot.”

Although the boy has not been officially charged with a crime, a detective stated that he could possibly face murder charges depending on the result of the investigation.

A motive for the killing has yet to be determined.

[Image via iStock Photo]

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