LITTLE ROCK — A 14-year-old boy found dead in a Little Rock home early Thursday morning died when a 13-year-old resident was playing with a gun that accidentally fired, police said.
Little Rock Police Department spokesman Lt. Terry Hastings said the victim was shot between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the chest as the younger boy was playing with a relative's gun at his home in 4600 Grand Ave.
The 13-year-old, whose name was not released, placed a cover over the body in a bed in the home and it wasn't discovered until around 2 a.m. Thursday, when police were called.
The six occupants of the home, including the 13-year-old, initially told investigators they didn't know the 14-year-old victim or have any idea how he got into the bed where he was found.
Hastings said the circumstances came to light as police questioned the 13-year-old Thursday.
The boy has not been charged with a crime, but Hastings said the case would be forwarded to the prosecutor for review.
"We'll let the prosecutor decide on that," Hastings said.
Police say they will also notify the Department of Human Services about conditions in the home.
EARLIER
A 14-year-old boy was shot to death in a house in Little Rock early Thursday morning, authorities said.
Little Rock Police Department spokesman Lt. Terry Hastings said the boy was shot at least once in the upper body shortly before 2 a.m. at 4600 Grand Ave. An autopsy is pending.
A grandmother who owned the home and five others between the ages of 11 and 25 were in the house, but they each said they did not know the victim or what happened, police said.
"We are investigating this, trying to figure out how this young man got in this house," Hastings said, calling the circumstances "a little unusual."
Investigators are questioning everyone in the house.
"At this point, we're not ruling out anyone" as suspects, Hastings said.
Louise Nelson, 60, identified herself as the homeowner during an interview outside the residence Thursday morning.
She said she was in bed when her cousin, who also lives in the house, awakened her and said somebody was in his bed "and not moving."
Nelson called police after finding the teen in the bed. It wasn't clear then what had happened to him, Nelson said, adding she only noticed blood under his nose.
"I ain't never seen the little boy and I don't know how he got in my house," she said. "I don't know him and the kids don't know him."
Nelson, who has lived in the home for 20 years and lives with her cousin, her son and three grandsons, said none of the family knows what happened.
"That really got me," she said of finding the boy. "I want them to really find out what happened, whatever."
The victim was reported by his mother as a runaway on April 12, Hastings said. The teen returned home after that, but then ran away again at a later date.
Hastings described the residence where the teen was shot as a known "hangout for kids."
Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
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