13-year-old Zain Mezher shot and killed in Moorhead

MOORHEAD, Minn. -- A boy was shot and killed in Moorhead on Friday evening.

Police say an officer was flagged down when they were on patrol around 6 p.m. The boy was found in an area of trees near 19 Street South, not far from Romkey Park. 

Officers and EMS tried life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead.

On Monday, the victim was identified by police as 13-year-old Zain Hussein Mezher. Investigators believe that a group of youths had gotten ahold of a handgun and were handling it in the woods when it went off, striking Mezher.

The autopsy determined that the preliminary cause of death was a single gunshot wound.

"The incident is tragic, and our sympathies go out to the family and friends of those involved," the city police department said in a statement.

Police say they have identified and are interviewing a suspect. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Moorhead Police Department is assisting in an investigation.