An 11-year-old Oklahoma girl has been taken into custody after authorities say she fatally shot her 15-year-old brother, then phoned their mother and claimed someone else had opened fire inside the family’s home.
The children’s mother was not at the Edmond residence when she received the call from her daughter on Wednesday afternoon, shortly after the shooting occurred.
Responding officers arrived at the home and found the teenage boy dead, with investigators saying he appeared to have suffered a gunshot wound.
Police believe his younger sister was the only other person in the house when the deadly incident unfolded.
Just before 1 a.m. Thursday, several hours after the fatal shooting, officers arrested the 11-year-old girl on a complaint of second-degree murder.
The tragedy has shaken the quiet Edmond neighborhood, with residents saying they had often seen the siblings together and thought they appeared to have a close bond.
Investigators have not yet disclosed what they believe led up to the shooting or what may have happened in the minutes before the boy was killed.
Because both children are minors, officials have not released their names.
The Edmond, Oklahoma home where police found a 15-year-old boy dead from an apparent gunshot wound before arresting his 11-year-old sister
Edmond Police Department spokesperson Emily Ward said detectives believe the 11-year-old was the only other person inside the residence at the time of the shooting
Police said officers were initially called to
the Edmond home at approximately 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
‘They located a male juvenile inside, 15 years old, who was deceased from an apparent gunshot wound,’ Edmond Police Department spokesperson Emily Ward told KOCO.
Police have not publicly confirmed further details about his injuries but according to ABC News, the boy was shot in the head.
Investigators quickly focused their attention on the boy’s younger sister.
‘We believe that she was the only other individual in the house at that time,’ Ward told KFOR.
‘We recognize this is a heartbreaking situation for the family involved,’ Edmond police said. ‘Our thoughts are with them as they grieve this tragedy.’
Doorbell camera footage from the neighborhood showed the first police vehicle arriving shortly after 4pm, before the street rapidly filled with emergency crews.
Police descended on the Edmond property Wednesday afternoon after receiving reports of a shooting involving the teenage boy
Neighborhood door cams saw officers rushing to the quiet Edmond neighborhood at around 4pm on Wednesday, where they discovered the 15-year-old boy dead inside the family home
Nine hours after police were initially called to the home, the teenage boy’s younger sister was arrested.
The girl was transported to a juvenile detention facility and booked on a complaint of second-degree murder although no formal charge has been filed by the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office.
Neighbors were left struggling to reconcile the allegations with the family they knew.
‘It was shocking that it was them,’ Richard New told KOCO. ‘The parents always seemed friendly, kids seemed friendly. Didn’t see the daughter much.’
‘It is happening in our neighborhood. There are no words,’ Michelle New said. ‘Definitely the last house on the block we would have expected anything like this to happen.’
Other residents told News 9 that they had regularly spotted the siblings around the neighborhood and believed they appeared close.
One woman who frequently saw the 11-year-old walking home from the bus described her simply as ‘sweet.’
Oklahoma attorney Ed Blau told KOCO that state law prevents an 11-year-old accused of a felony from being prosecuted as an adult.
‘In the state of Oklahoma, when someone is under the age of 13, they cannot be charged as an adult with a felony, especially murder or murder in the second degree,’ Blau said.
Neighbors Richard and Michelle New say they were both shocked by the shooting
Instead, the allegations will be dealt with through the juvenile court system.
‘This case will not move through the same court system as an adult murder case,’ Blau explained. ‘Because the suspect is 11, the case will be handled in juvenile court.’
Oklahoma’s juvenile laws also place restrictions on detaining children aged 12 and younger.
‘She can be held up until she’s 19 years of age because of the seriousness of the crime,’ he said. ‘She will likely be in custody for a decent portion of the rehabilitation process.’
Blau said he expects prosecutors to examine how the child was allegedly able to access the firearm and believes the adults responsible for looking after the children could face scrutiny.
‘In this particular case, I know the prosecution is going to take a close look at their parents to see if or how much negligence was involved in their kids being able to get access to their guns,’ he said.
