Detroit Teenager Accidentally Shoots Boy While Trying to Film Video With Stolen Gun, Cops Say

A 14-year-old boy was accidentally shot and killed in Detroit by another teen who was playing with a gun that was stolen from a vehicle two days prior, according to authorities.

Detroit Police Asst. Chief Charles Fitzgerald said the teens were “trying to shoot some kind of video and use real guns with real bullets” and during that “we lost a 14-year-old,” WJBK reported.

Around 1:15 a.m. on June 22, police said a 16-year-old was mishandling a 9mm pistol at a home in Detroit when it fired, hitting the 14-year-old victim in the side.

Officials said one of the teens carried the victim downstairs, but they delayed calling police, possibly to conceal other crimes.

According to authorities, the gun was stolen from an unlocked car in Chesterfield Township and police found many other stolen items in the home.

"Lot of stolen goods at this home," Fitzgerald said. "There were stolen car fobs. Told by some of the neighbors they were moving some of the stolen cars prior to arrival."

Officials said the 16-year-old gave police a fake name before running from the scene. A 15-year-old was arrested.

Police were not sure if the video the teens were recording was streaming on social media at the time, but they did seize eight phones from the home, according to WJBK.

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The victim had been staying at the home with a friend and his mother since December 2022. Police described the home as being in disarray.

"Even as you enter the threshold of the doorway, there were mice running through. I give this woman a lot of credit for taking this young boy in," Fitzgerald said. "It looked like most of the stuff was scarce. Food was scarce, but at least gave him a roof over his head."