Detroit officials say 12-year-old fatally shot as kids were playing with gun

DETROIT – Three boys found a gun inside a home on Rochelle Street in Detroit and were playing with it when it fired, striking and killing a 12-year-old boy.

The family of the 12-year-old say he was dropped off along with his twin brother at the home because his 13-year-old best friend lives there. Where the gun came from is still under investigation, and there was no adult supervision in the home at the time of the shooting.

READ: 12-year-old boy killed in Detroit amid recent surge in gun violence, police say

“It’s gonna be hard for my family to move ahead after this. We’re just asking for prayer,” said older brother Niko Scott.

Detroit police emphasize that there are free gun locks at all their precincts and firearms need to be secured.

“My message is this: we have these gun locks, we give out hundreds of these at our precincts,” said Deputy Chief Rudy Harper. “People have to secure their weapons. Here we have young children who got a hold of a gun and this is the result.”

Officials say gun involved in 12-year-old boy’s death was found loaded, unsecured