Tre’Michael, a 9-year-old Louisiana boy, was shot by his 10-year-old friend at a home in Alexandria, cops say (GoFundMe).
A tragic incident involving two young friends in Louisiana has taken a disturbing turn. A 9-year-old boy was allegedly shot by his 10-year-old companion in what was initially perceived as an accidental shooting. However, recent revelations suggest the act was intentional.
Officers from the Alexandria Police Department were dispatched to a residence on Chester Street around 11:45 a.m. on December 6, following reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they discovered the young victim suffering from a gunshot wound and promptly transported him to the hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.
Initially, authorities reported that the firearm discharged while the boys were playing with it. However, days later, when the victim regained the ability to speak, he offered a shocking revelation.
“The moment he could talk after the tube was removed from his mouth, his first words to me were, ‘Mama, Mama, he shot me on purpose,'” recounted the boy’s mother, Lakisha Ledguies, to KALB, a local NBC affiliate.
Ledguies expressed her disbelief over the incident.
“I was in shock,” she told the news station. “Not my baby. Not my baby.”
Cops now say the shooting was intentional, per KALB. The 10-year-old boy was reportedly arrested for aggravated battery and juvenile in possession of a firearm. He was taken to a youth detention center.
Investigators have yet to say how the suspect obtained the gun, but Ledguies said she heard it came from a family member.
The victim, Tre’Michael, lost his right kidney, half a lung and “his intestines were shattered by the bullet,” his uncle said in a GoFundMe account description.
“Our family is still in shock, and every day brings new challenges as he fights to recover from this traumatic event,” Courtney Blake wrote. “The road ahead is long and filled with uncertainty.”
Blake said his nephew was released from the hospital a couple of days after Christmas.
Police did not name the suspect because of his age. The case remains ongoing.
Ledguies said the shooting was avoidable and urged parents of young kids to follow this simple piece of advice.
“Take the guns away. Take them away. They don’t need them,” she said.
