MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – A teenage tragedy occurred in Miami Gardens Saturday night when a 13-year-old was killed after being shot in the head while his friends played with a gun.
It happened at a home on Northwest 207th Street near 32nd Avenue.
Officers responded after getting a call around 7:40 p.m.
When they arrived, officers found the 13-year-old boy suffering from a gunshot wound to the back of the head.
The teenage victim was airlifted to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, where he later died.
Detectives believe it happened as the victim was playing video games in a bedroom with friends.
At some point, one of the kids pulled out a gun which later went off, striking the victim.
While detectives did detain several people for questioning, it’s still unclear who, if anyone, will face charges.
“A lot of people do have firearms these days and it’s up to us to ensure that if we’re going to have firearms in our home, to keep them locked up and to make sure that they stay away from the reach of kids,” said Miami Gardens Police Sgt. Emmanuel Jeanty.
Officers are now using this incident as a reminder to other gun owners to always lock up weapons around children.
“I can tell you that the police department, we do give out gun locks and we give out different types of kits to family members and homeowners to keep these firearms locked under the reach of kids because our children’s safety is our top priority,” Jeanty said.