A 10-year-old Wisconsin boy allegedly shot his 14-year-old brother by accident in a game of cops of robbers gone horribly wrong, according to a preliminary police investigation.
The older boy tragically died at the scene from a wound to the chest after resuscitation efforts by first responders who arrived at about 10:30 a.m. were unsuccessful in the incident that occurred Tuesday near the village of Loganville in Sauk County.
The youngsters, along with a 12-year-old who may also be a sibling, were reportedly playing cops and robbers with rifles they believed to be unloaded, Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister explained in a statement. “At one point, the 10-year-old juvenile pointed a rifle at his 14-year-old brother and pulled the trigger. This firearm had the magazine removed but unbeknownst to the 10-year-old a round was in the chamber.”
An investigation into the incident is ongoing. A Sheriff’s Department spokesman indicated it was a “distinct possibility” that the rifle’s owner could face criminal charges in connection with the shooting, the New York Post added .
The Reedsburg Times-Press reported that all three kids lived in the house and their dad owned the rifle which was “accessible in the home.” A family rep told the publication that relatives were not ready to discuss the incident at this time.
“I don’t know how the family is going to deal with it” https://t.co/ADnZR7JtLS
— New York Post (@nypost) August 10, 2017
A June 2017 study published by Journal Pediatrics claims that about 1,300 children die each year from gunshot wounds, while nearly 6,000 receive treatment for gunshot wounds annually.
Earlier this month, as the Inquisitr detailed, a 4-year-old boy fired on himself in a tragic accidental shooting at his babysitter’s house in Indiana. The youngster apparently got hold of a gun case that was hidden under the bed in an upstairs bedroom and removed the weapon. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
A 10-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his brother during a game of ‘cops and robbers,’ police say https://t.co/udWcwpQGfn pic.twitter.com/MvjHpKryqj
— CNN (@CNN) August 9, 2017
In December 2016, official U.S. government stats from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) claimed 77 kids under the age of 18 died in accidental shootings for the year 2015, although several news agencies maintain that that the actual number is 141. The Children’s Firearms Safety Alliance claims that 63 toddlers picked up a gun and pulled the trigger last year, and that there were about 200 instances where a minor gained access to a loaded firearm.
See also: Teen Babysitters Arrested After Allegedly Putting Infant In Refrigerator
Since the Loganville, Wisconsin, cops and robbers shooting remains under investigation by law enforcement authorities, watch this space for updates.
[Featured Image by Georgii Shipin/ Shutterstock ]
