12-Year-Old Boy Accidentally Shot and Killed by 10-Year-Old Brother Playing With Gun

A 12-year-old boy in St. Louis was fatally shot on Tuesday night when his 10-year-old brother was playing with a gun in their home. A parent was present.

March 30, 2022

A shooting in St. Louis has left a 12-year-old boy dead.

KMOV reports that the child was fatally shot by his 10-year-old brother, who was playing with the gun at home in the city’s Walnut Park West neighborhood. A 36-year-old woman was later arrested for a possible charge of endangering the welfare of a child after she told police the firearm was hers.

A parent was having their hair cut at home when 12-year-old Lafrance Johnson was shot in the face. The incident happened just before 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

“This is like the third incident in a week we’ve had so far. Prior to that, we have sent out information to the alderpersons about receiving gun locks,” St. Louis Metropolitan Police Maj. Ryan Cousins told the outlet. “As an agency, we will come out and teach everyone how to use them. We do understand people are going to own guns, however, to protect these children, we want to ensure these guns are secured safely.”

This latest incident follows a shooting from last week when 12-year-old and 14-year-old cousins died while livestreaming from their St. Louis home. One child, who was handling a gun, shot the other before turning the gun on herself. The family said it was an accident but police are investigating the case as a murder-suicide. February also saw a 12-year-old injured in an accidental self-inflicted shooting.

“All I can say is my heart goes out to the mom,” said Alderwoman Pamela Boyd, per Fox 2. “I’m just tired of going to children’s funerals. I’m just tired. It drains you. Just pray for our city because we have to do something about these guns in our city.”