15-Year-Old Boy Shot In The Head When Prank Backfires

Jesse Rainey, 15, and a group of friends decided to pull a prank while on a weekend excursion in the woods. The prank went terribly wrong, however, when Rainey’s friend shot him in the head, critically injuring the high school sophomore. The teens later told officials the story: A group of them decided to pull a prank on the others, and went outside the house to flip the breaker and turn off the power in the house. Rainey, as part of the prank, allegedly hid in a closet. When one of the teens entered the room, Rainey jumped out to scare him. The startled teen, who happened to be holding a loaded handgun, pulled the trigger, shooting Rainey in the head.

Jesse Rainey was in critical condition this afternoon, according to AL.com. The teen was transported to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham after a 911 call came in around 3:30 AM yesterday morning. Along with Jesse, seven other teens were spending the weekend unsupervised at the Tuscumbia house. After calling 911, the teens put Rainey in a pickup truck and brought him to the nearest store, where they were met by police officials. Colbert Country Sheriff Ronnie May said that although the investigation is ongoing, no one has been charged in what officials are calling an “accidental shooting.”

The house belongs to one of the boys’ grandmother, but is uninhabited. The boys brought several guns, including the .38-caliber handgun that injured Rainey, to the house.

“We’ve found no indication that this was planned by anyone,” May told WAAYTV.com. “We believe this was a prank that went terribly wrong. We continue to pray for Jesse and his family. We hope he is able to return to his family soon.”