12-year-old boy charged with shooting teenage cousin to death. Brooklyn neighbors are stunned.
NEW YORK - A 12-year-old faces multiple charges for allegedly shooting his 14-year-old cousin dead in Brooklyn.
It happened around 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
Police sources told CBS New York the shooting was accidental and happened when the 12-year-old was playing with a rifle.
The victim, 14-year-old Josai Guy, was shot in the chest and killed.
So far, there's no word on how the children got their hands on the gun involved.
Guy's grandparents were home at the time of the shooting. His father works as an FDNY firefighter but was out of state on vacation at the time.
The 12-year-old, whose name is not being released due to his age, faces manslaughter, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminally negligent homicide charges.
Neighbors left stunned
Neighbors and friends were left reeling after the shooting.
There's now a small memorial set up outside 80 Osborn Street, where the shooting happened.
A neighbor on the fifth floor heard the gun go off.
"I was sleeping. I did hear a loud sound, but I didn't know what that was... a big pop. A loud pop, but I thought it was outside," the neighbor said.
"He was well raised. He was well mannered. He had manners. He went to school every day, when he'd leave school, he'd come straight home," area resident Romonia Singleton said.
"I'm not even doing good with this, really, to be honest, because I know them. Good family," Pastor James Nicholson said. "I reached out to them and told them let me know when you're ready to talk, come through and sit with them, pray with them, pray for them. It's never good, something like this."
Veyonte Borden was friends with the victim.
"It still doesn't feel real. I wish this was a bad dream," Borden said. "He was really funny. He was my rival in basketball. He was really tough."
