Prosecutors in California accuse father of killing child for allegedly shooting his 10-year-old son
SACRAMENTO, California — Prosecutors in Northern California have decided to charge the father of a 10-year-old boy alone in connection with the death of a child the boy allegedly shot.
The decision on charges in Saturday's fatal shooting outside Sacramento was announced Wednesday during the father's court hearing.
In an email Thursday to The Associated Press, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office said it had told the court that “based on the currently known facts, the sole criminal liability and responsibility for the child's death rests solely with this defendant .”
The AP does not generally identify young people involved in crimes. The father's name is being withheld to prevent identification of his son.
The Sacramento Bee reported that an attorney entered not guilty pleas on behalf of the 53-year-old defendant on charges of having a firearm within easy access of a child, which led to the death of another minor; two counts of child endangerment; having a firearm as a felon; having ammunition while prohibited; and destroying evidence.
Sacramento County sheriff's deputies responding to a shooting report in unincorporated Foothill Farms found victim Keith Frierson, also 10, in a parking lot and he was later pronounced dead at a hospital, the Sheriff's Office said in a social media post.
The Sacramento Bee reported that the boy was accused of shooting Frierson after he lost a bicycle race at the townhome complex where the boys lived.
According to the Sheriff's Office affidavit, the defendant's son went to his father's truck to get him cigarettes, found the loaded gun, “bragged about his dad having a gun,” and then shot the victim once. The father allegedly threw the gun in a garbage can.
The Public Prosecution Service says it cannot comment further on the case. “Additionally, juvenile cases are confidential as required by California law,” the report said.
The son was arrested on suspicion of murder after the shooting.