What to Know
- A 12-year-old boy is not expected to survive after apparently shooting himself in the head in a bedroom of his Yonkers home
- Police say the boy and a younger neighbor were home alone at the time; they were in separate rooms, though
- At this point, it appears the 12-year-old somehow got ahold of the gun and fired twice; one bullet hit the window and the other hit his head
A 12-year-old Westchester County boy apparently shot himself in the head by accident in a bedroom of his family's house while he was home alone with a young neighbor late Sunday, police say. He's not expected to survive.
Yonkers police said Monday they responded to a 911 call at a Nepperhan Avenue apartment minutes before midnight and found the 12-year-old boy on the bedroom floor; he was bleeding from the head.
A preliminary investigation indicates the boy was home alone with a younger neighbor; they were in separate rooms. At some point, the boy somehow got ahold of a loaded handgun and fired twice in the bedroom. One bullet hit a window and the other struck the boy in the head, Yonkers police say.
Family members found him a short time later and called 911. The boy was taken to a hospital in grave condition and police say he's not expected to make it.
First responders found an illegal, loaded semiautomatic pistol at the scene. That was seized. Investigators are still working to figure out how the child got ahold of the gun and interviewing family members. Police didn't say whether any arrests had been made or whether they anticipated making arrests in the case.
They said the child's identity won't be released. The younger neighbor wasn't hurt and had nothing to do with the accident, police say.
Yonkers police said they and the city were "saddened by this tragic event" and reminded everyone that firearms must be safeguarded from children.
