A 53-year-old man and his child were in custody Sunday after the boy took a stolen gun from his father’s car and killed a fellow 10-year-old, authorities in Sacramento County, California, said.
The attack unfolded Saturday afternoon in the Foothill Farms community when the man sent his son to retrieve cigarettes from his car, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said.
The boy then “took a gun from inside the vehicle and bragged that his father had a gun,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement released Sunday. “He then proceeded to shoot the victim once and ran into a nearby apartment.”
Deputies found the victim bleeding from the head and neck, the sheriff’s office said, and administered CPR and other “life-saving efforts” until Sacramento Metro Fire Department first responders arrived. The child was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators believe the suspected shooter’s father, identified as Arkete Davis, 53, tried to get rid of the gun by placing it in a trash can, the sheriff’s office said. Authorities allege the firearm was stolen.
Family members identified the victim as Keith “KJ” Frierson, NBC affiliate KCRA of Sacramento reported.
The name of the suspected shooter was withheld because he is a juvenile. He was booked on suspicion of murder, the sheriff’s office said.
His father was arrested and booked on suspicion of possession of a firearm by a felon, criminal storage of a firearm, carrying a stolen loaded firearm in a vehicle, child endangerment and acting as an accessory to a crime after the fact, according to inmate records.
It was not clear whether the suspects have legal counsel for the case. The Sacramento County Public Defender’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Davis was being held in lieu of $500,000 bail, inmate records indicate. Sheriff’s officials said he was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.
The boy was detained at the Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility, the sheriff’s office said, with coming court appearances unavailable.
Juveniles in Sacramento County must be charged within 48 business hours of arrest or detention. Bail is not used, but minors can be released to parents or legal guardians.
