A 14-year-old boy was killed at a sleepover after his friend accidentally shot him in the chest with a gun he thought wasn’t loaded.
American Warren Wimberly, who was a student at Moss Bluff Middle School, tragically passed away on 29 May at his friend’s home in Louisiana, reports The Sun.
Detective Stitch Guillory from the Calcasieu Parish police department said the young shooter, whose name isn’t known, “didn’t realise the gun he had was loaded when he pointed it at Wimberly and the gun was discharged”.
Local detectives have launched a homicide investigation and urged parents to educate their children on gun safety.
“This is an opportunity for parents to sit their kids down and have a long hard conversation with them about the safety of guns and how important it is to not play with guns,” said officer Guillory.
“You know, I have a 14-year-old myself and I sat him down this morning and had a long conversation with him.”
According to KPLCTV, the shooting incident is currently being investigated.
Warren’s friends and family took to social media to pay tribute to the young boy.
“I don’t get it, honestly I know you’re gone but it doesn’t feel real,” his school friend Emma Broussard wrote.
“It’s like a bad dream everyone says you’re gone but I feel like you’re still here – like nothing really happened, like this is a sick joke.
“It’s gonna be hard without you.”
Sources: metro.co.uk, kplctv.com, nola.com, thesun.co.uk