GRAND BAY, Ala. (WALA) – A 3-year-old child is dead and a 13-year-old child is charged with negligent homicide after playing with a loaded rifle found in a closet, according to the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office.
It happened at a home on Highway 188 in Grand Bay.
The MCSO said the two boys were playing when the older child hid in a closet and found a rifle. He came out of the closet and pointed the gun at the 3-year-old not knowing it was loaded and pulled the trigger, investigators said.
The young child, identified by the sheriff’s office as Weston Spelich, was hit in the head and died.
The sheriff’s office said that shortly after 11:30 p.m. Mobile County EMS responded to a residence on Highway 188 in reference to a medical complaint regarding the 3-year-old child. A relative stated that Weston and her son were playing in a bedroom when her son came running into the living room stating the younger boy fell and hit is head.
At the hospital, it was discovered the child had suffered a gunshot wound, and Weston was pronounced deceased at 4 a.m., the MCSO said.
A short time after the 3-year-old was transported to the hospital, the 13-year-old revealed to his mother that he and Weston were playing cops and robbers, according to the sheriff’s office. The MCSO said he stated that he walked into the closet, grabbed a 22-caliber air rifle, pointed it at Weston and pulled the trigger.
Weston’s parents live next door to where the incident occurred, the MCSO said.
The 13-year-old was taken to Strickland Youth Center.
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