12-Year-Old Allegedly Shot To Death 11-Year-Old During Argument

KEY POINTS

The 11-year-old victim was shot once in the head and died at the scene before police arrived
The 12-year-old suspect allegedly shot the victim during an argument
The mother of the victim said the victim's older brother witnessed the shooting

A 12-year-old was charged with murder after an 11-year-old was fatally shot in Clayton County, Georgia, Thursday evening.

The victim, identified as Elyjah Munson, was shot outside a home in the 6000 block of Westbury Road in the city of Riverdale, Fox 5 reported, citing Clayton County police.

The 11-year-old victim was shot once in the head and died at the scene before police arrived, WXIA reported, citing authorities.

Police said the victim and the 12-year-old suspect, whose name has not been disclosed, lived in an apartment complex near the scene of the shooting and were walking in a group in the area when they got into a fight.

Kendall Munson, the mother of the victim, told Fox 5 that Elyjah was shot and killed during an argument with a friend. The victim's older brother witnessed the shooting.

"He witnessed it and he just kept saying 'They left my brother lying there.' This is crazy," Munson said.

The shooting happened outside of Riverdale resident Jerry Shepherd's house, and both he and his wife witnessed the incident, Fox 5 reported.

"One of them was saying, 'You play too much man,' and he pulled out a gun and shot him in the head," Shepherd said.

The 12-year-old suspect was charged as a juvenile with murder, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, possession of a firearm for someone under 18 and cruelty to children in the first degree, according to a statement from the Clayton County Police Department.

The victim's grieving mother said her parents insisted that her sons move to Georgia to escape the crime in Chicago.

"This is too much for me. My baby was 11," Munson said.

"We left Chicago to try to escape gang activity. I truly think this was an accident. He should not have had a gun," said grandmother Grace Wells.

The victim's mother admitted that she doesn't "know how to feel" about the 12-year-old suspect's charges. "That baby is 12. My baby is 11. These are kids," she said. "They should have been playing in a sandbox somewhere.”

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Investigators are now trying to find out who owns the gun used in the shooting. It is not yet clear whether or not the owner will be charged.