A 15-year-old girl has been arrested and charged in connection with the murder of a 44-year-old man, who was found with gunshot wounds inside a Colorado residence.

Police found Joseph Johnson dead in his home in Brighton with apparent gunshot wounds during a welfare check early Tuesday, reported Denver7.

" ... Officers were dispatched to check the well-being of a man who had not been heard from in several days," the Brighton Police Department said in a statement Wednesday. "Responding officers observed a person down inside the residence who was unresponsive. Officers made entry and the male was found to be deceased with apparent gunshot wounds."

Further investigation led the detectives to the 15-year-old girl, who was identified as a suspect in the man's murder. The teenager was located in Castle Rock, Colorado, and was arrested immediately.

The girl knew Johnson before the shooting, 9NEWS reported. Her identity was not released because she was a minor.

"She was transported to Brighton Police Department for processing and booked into Prairie Vista Youth Services Detention Center on charges of murder and motor vehicle theft," police said.

The circumstances that led to the shooting of the 44-year-old man were not immediately revealed. It is also unclear when Johnson was shot.

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"The case will be filed with the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office where the final decision of formal charges will be determined," the police department said. "Under Colorado laws, the arrest and filing of a criminal charge is merely a formal accusation that an individual committed a crime."

In an unrelated incident reported last year, a teenager in India murdered his 85-year-old neighbor because his dog barked at him. The 17-year-old boy allegedly forced his way into the man's home and beat up his dog with an iron rod. The man, identified as Ashok Kumar, tried to stop the boy from hurting his dog. This enraged the teenager further and he thrashed the elderly man to death.

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Representational image (Source: Pixabay / Anemone123) Pixabay / Anemone123