17-year-old Boy Playing With Gun Accidentally Shoots Twin Brother In The Face

KEY POINTS

Police believe the brothers were playing with a gun in a bedroom
The victim was taken to the hospital and later succumbed to injuries
It is unclear who owns the gun involved in the teen's death

A 17-year-old boy in Georgia was arrested for accidentally shooting his twin brother in the face and causing his death. The teenager was charged with felony murder and aggravated assault.

DeKalb County police said the shooting took place Monday at around 3 a.m. at a home in Young Knoll in Stone Mountain, which is located about 15 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.

The twin brothers, Xavier and Dimitri Hayes, were playing with a gun in one of the bedrooms when the latter was struck by a bullet in his face, police said.

Responding officers arrived at the scene to find Dimitri with a gunshot wound, according to WIS News 10.

The teenager was taken to the Grady Memorial Hospital, where he eventually succumbed to his injuries.

It is unclear who owns the gun involved in the incident. Details about whether the twins' parents would face charges were also not revealed.

Xavier, who fired the weapon, is being held at the DeKalb County Jail.

The family believes the shooting was an accident. "We just know they got their hands on a weapon, we don't know where the weapon came from," the twin brothers' aunt told Channel 2 Action News.

While officials said the boys were playing with the gun, a relative claimed there was "an argument" before the surviving twin fired the fatal shot.

"They were very close, there was an argument, they loved each other, they are twins," cousin Raven McKelvey told the outlet.

In an unrelated incident reported last month, a 5-year-old fatally shot his 8-year-old brother while their mother and four other siblings were at home. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators believe the shooting was an accident.

It is imperative to store guns safely and keep them well out of a child's reach. Keeping a gun unloaded and locked in a safe, gun vault, cabinet or a secure storage case is the safest way to store a gun at home, according to KidsHealth.org. Gunowners were also advised to keep their bullets and their gun in separate places.