A 14-year-old boy fatally gunned down inside a Brooklyn apartment Sunday was allegedly shot by his young cousin accidentally as his grandfather slept in a nearby room, law enforcement sources said.
According to police sources, officers from the 73rd Precinct rushed to Howard Houses located at 80 Osborn St. in Brownsville at around 10:43 a.m. on June 2 to find the young teen dead with a gunshot wound to the chest.
Just prior to the shooting, according to sources with immediate knowledge of the incident, the teen’s grandfather had apparently fallen asleep after taking a slew of sleeping pills. Meanwhile, in the room next door, the boy and his 12-year-old cousin had somehow gotten hold of a shotgun and were playing with the weapon when it discharged.
“I shot my cousin by accident, I don’t want him to die,” the 12-year-old boy heartbreakingly told responding cops as soon as they arrived on scene.
The teenager was rushed to Brookdale University Hospital by EMS, but could not be saved.
While it is not exactly clear how the children got hold of the weapon, law enforcement sources reported that the shotgun belonged to the deceased child’s father, who works as an active FDNY firefighter. Police sources familiar with the case said he did not have a permit for the weapon.
The 12-year-old boy, who police have not named due to his tender age, was taken into custody. Police say the pre-teen has been charged with manslaughter, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminally negligent homicide.
Meanwhile, the deadly shooting marked the latest bloody chapter in a terrible year for gun violence in the 73rd Precinct.
The command has seen a massive increase in homicides and shootings so far in 2024, according to the most recent CompStat statistics.
Through May 26, the command had seen 12 homicides, up 200% from the four reported at the same point last year; there have also been 23 shootings with 27 injuries year-to-date, up from 14 shootings with 15 related injuries year-to-date in 2023.
