Texas teen charged after 8-year-old brother fatally shot
HENDERSON COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) - Texas deputies have arrested a 14-year-old boy in connection with the fatal shooting of his 8-year-old brother. The sheriff believes the shooting was intentional, KLTV reports.
The 14-year-old is charged with murder following investigation into physical evidence and witness statements, according to a press release from the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies received a 911 call Saturday about an 8-year-old boy that had been shot in the head at about 6:20 p.m., the press release stated. When deputies responded to the home on County Road 2911, they found the child on the back porch with people attempting life-saving measures.
The boy, who was later identified as Zayden Worley, died later Saturday at Children’s Hospital in Dallas, the press release stated. An autopsy was conducted at the Southwestern Institute on Forensic Science in Dallas.
“It was reported that the child was on the back porch when a stray bullet from a wooded area struck the child,” the press release stated. “Investigators immediately began searching the area and speaking with neighbors.”
According to the press release, three juveniles were alone at their grandfather and grandmother’s house when the shooting incident happened. A search warrant was issued for the property.
Investigators determined that based on evidence recovered from the scene and autopsy, the claim that the boy was struck by a stray bullet was “not possible.”
Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said Wednesday that there “was no possible way a stray bullet could have caused this.”
The sheriff said he thinks that the 14-year-old boy intentionally shot his brother. The sheriff’s office will decide on whether to treat the boy as an adult or a juvenile, Hillhouse said.
He added that the autopsy showed that Zayden was struck by a “small-caliber round.”
Hillhouse said the case is still under investigation and that additional charges could be pending against the 14-year-old’s guardians.
The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office is being assisted on the case by the Henderson County Attorney’s Office, the Henderson County District Attorney’s Office, the Texas Rangers, Texas State Game Wardens, the Children’s Advocacy Center, and Child Protective Services, the press release stated.
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