12-Year-Old Accidentally Shoots, Kills Twin Brother, Mother Charged

A 12-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his twin brother in their family home in California on Monday. According to reports, police arrested their mother following the incident that took place in a San Bernardino home.

Gabriela Keeton, 45, faces a charge of child cruelty in connection with the death of her son, local media reported. When officers arrived at the scene of the shooting, they found a 12-year-old boy suffering from a gunshot wound. The boy was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Initial investigation revealed that the boys were playing with an unloaded gun in their parent’s bedroom. One of the brothers found the ammunition nearby and loaded the gun, a police spokesman told CBS 2. While pretending to shoot, one of them accidentally shot the other. Police said they were treating the shooting incident as an accident.

Police questioned their mother Keeton and later arrested her on child endangerment charges. According to KTLA, she was being held on a $100,000 bail and will make her first court appearance Thursday.

Following the incident, San Bernardino police urged gun owners to keep their weapons locked, secured and out of the reach of children in order to prevent such accidents.

In May, a woman and her boyfriend were arrested when her three-year-old son fatally shot himself at their apartment in Jackson, Tennessee, after getting access to the weapon. According to a press release from the police, officers responded to the apartment after receiving reports of a shooting and found the toddler lying with a gunshot wound. The boy was rushed to a local hospital where he succumbed to injuries. Following an investigation, 25-year-old Linda Arrington and her boyfriend, 43-year-old Antonio Dancer, were taken into custody.

“Dancer and Arrington were both under the influence of drugs while the child was left unattended. He found a handgun that was not properly secured and shot himself,” the press release stated.