1 teen dead, another in custody after accidental shooting in Phoenix
Apr 8, 2024, 11:41 AM | Updated: 11:43 am
(Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Photo)
PHOENIX – One teenager is dead and another is in custody after an accidental shooting in Phoenix over the weekend, authorities said Monday.
Officers responded to an apartment complex near Seventh Avenue and Mountain View Road, south of Peoria Avenue, around 1:15 p.m. Sunday and found a 13-year-old boy with a gunshot wound, according to the Phoenix Police Department.
Earlric Reynolds was rushed to a hospital but did not survive his injuries.
Adolfo Villalva, 18, was detained at the scene and allegedly told officers he accidentally shot Reynolds.
What happened before the accidental fatal shooting in Phoenix?
“After conducting interviews and reviewing evidence, they [detectives] learned Villalva and Reynolds were playing with Nerf guns when Villalva pulled out a real gun and mistakenly fired it at Reynolds,” Sgt. Phil Krynsky said in a media advisory.
Villalva and other witnesses moved the victim to the parking lot after the shooting, and the suspect allegedly hid the gun, police said. The weapon was recovered.
Villalva was booked into jail on counts of manslaughter, prohibited weapon possession, tampering with evidence and discharging a firearm within city limits. His bond was set at $500,000.