DETROIT – In the wake of yet another Detroit child lost to gun violence, reaction from friends and parents about the death of 14-year-old Frederick Austin lacks surprise and video obtained by Local 4 shows the young teenager handling and firing a handgun with friends.
A 13-year-old boy allegedly shot and killed Austin behind a vacant house on Detroit’s west side on Tuesday.
According to parents in the neighborhood, the teens would record themselves firing weapons and send the video out to others intended as a threat.
The video obtained by Local 4 shows the boys firing a handgun in the forest and using the weapon as a prop for what appears to be a music video.
Parents of children who attend the same school as the boys told Local 4 there were ongoing problems between them and other children in the neighborhood and at school.
What happened
Frederick Austin was shot and killed Tuesday night behind a vacant home on Radnor Street. He was 14.
The shooter is allegedly Austin’s best friend, a 13-year-old boy.
It was about 7:30 p.m. when police responded to a call about shots fired.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office charged the 13-year-old with involuntary manslaughter, careless discharge causing death and felony firearm. He is being charged as a juvenile.
Police have not said who the gun belongs to. It was recovered at the scene.
“Another senseless death of a 14-year-old young man,” said Detroit Police Chief James Craig. “We have one account that it may have been over a dispute. Not certain. It could have been that someone had possession of a gun and it was an accidental shooting.”
The Wayne County Medical Examiner ruled Austin’s death a homicide. The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.
Mother of accused says boys were bullied
The mother of the accused teen shooter said this was an accident and that Austin was her son’s best friend.
“He was like my other son,” Gaybrell Bennett said. “He was always over, spending the night and stuff. They were best friends.”
Bennett said the boys probably had the gun because they had been bullied and felt like they needed to protect themselves.
Neighbors heard commotion before shooting
The next-door neighbors were having a birthday barbecue when they heard a commotion, profanity and then two shots.
“We didn’t think nothing of it but then we heard the kids back there crying and screaming,” neighbor Paige Smith said.
The boys were screaming for Austin to wake up.
Neighbors also said the house has been a problem for months, a place that kids are having sex, smoking pot and fighting.
Police have responded to the home before.
“They done called numerous times about that house and the kids being back there and it took someone losing his life for them to care,” Smith said.
Local 4 learned in court Wednesday the alleged shooter, a seventh-grader, had been using marijuana. It is unclear if Austin was under the influence and toxicology reports will not be ready for a few weeks.