A 10-year-old boy has been charged with suspicion of murder after he allegedly shot another 10-year-old with a stolen firearm he found in his father’s car.
The arrest happened on Saturday in California’s Sacramento County. The boy’s father has been identified as 53-year-old Arkete Turan Davis. The juvenile’s name has been withheld because he is a minor. Authorities transferred the child to Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility where he was charged with murder.
His father has been charged with first-degree criminal storage of a firearm, carrying a stolen loaded firearm in a vehicle, possession of a firearm by a felon, child endangerment and accessory after the fact. He’s being withheld on $500,000 bail at Sacramento County Main Jail, according to inmate records. His first court appearance is set for January 3.
According to witnesses, the 10-year-old suspect went into his father’s vehicle to retrieve cigarettes around 4.30pm on December 30. He spotted the gun, grabbed it and began bragging about the fact that his father had a firearm.
The child then allegedly shot the other minor, who has been identified by relatives as Keith “KJ” Frierson, before running inside a nearby apartment with his father in the 4700 block of Greenholme Drive. Mr Davis and two minors were detained at the residence once police arrived.
The boy’s father is believed to have tried disposing of the firearm in a nearby trash can. Officials confirmed the firearm was stolen in 2017. At the time of the shooting, Mr Davis was legally prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm.
Upon arrival, officers located an unresponsive, wounded Frierson in the middle of a parking lot. The child was seen bleeding from his head and neck.
Deputies began administering life-saving measures until officials with the Sacramento Metro Fire Department arrived on site. He was then transported to a nearby hospital, where he died from gunshot wounds.
According to a GoFundMe launched by the boy’s godmother to raise funds for his funeral service, the child had asked to go outside to test out a new bike he got for Christmas.
“A joyful moment turned into sorrow”, the page reads. According to the site, the child’s mother has chosen to leave the apartment she shared with her son for the sake of her and her surviving son’s “shattered mental well-being”.
So far, the fundraiser has reached over $8,000 out of a $20,000 goal.
