LITTLE ROCK — A 9-year-old girl fatally shot her 7-year-old brother while their parents were briefly away from their apartment, police said.
The girl, whose name was not released because she is a juvenile, told authorities two men broke in and shot 7-year-old Zeus Diviaio, but police believe she actually pulled the trigger.
"[The father] stated that his daughter often told stories, and he did not believe his apartment had been entered by anyone," police wrote in a report, describing the girl as having "high-functioning autism."
The shooting happened about 4:30 p.m. Monday as Zeus and his older sister were in their home at 1502 Green Mountain Drive. The parents, identified in the report as Guy and Dara Diviaio, were reportedly signing paperwork at the rental office and had been gone only minutes when they returned to find the boy shot in the chest.
Zeus was transported from the apartment to Baptist Hospital, where he later died.
Investigators found no signs of forced entry to the apartment and nothing was missing. According to the report, police recovered two handguns from a gun case in the bedroom. Blood marks and a large pool of blood were nearby.
Little Rock Police Department Sgt. Cassandra Davis said the case is being forwarded to the prosecutor's office for review.