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16-year-old boy killed in Uniontown shooting

Teen boy killed in Uniontown shooting
Teen boy killed in Uniontown shooting 02:49

UNIONTOWN, Pa. (KDKA) — Uniontown police charged a 14-year-old girl with involuntary manslaughter after she allegedly shot and killed a 16-year-old boy inside a home Saturday. 

The teenage girl told investigators she was playing with a gun, which she thought was a BB gun.

Dakota Ambler was sleeping Saturday when her boyfriend woke her up to tell her a teenage boy was shot next door. She ran outside to find police surrounding her neighborhood and crime tape blocking the streets.

"All these kids dying from their guns, it's sad," Ambler said.

Police said a juvenile called 911 to report a shooting inside a home on Wilson Avenue by Jefferson Street around 3:15 p.m. When officers arrived, they found the 16-year-old boy dead.

The juvenile who made the call was gone when law enforcement arrived, but a 14-year-old girl confessed to firing the weapon. Investigators charged her with involuntary manslaughter and other related offenses. It's unclear how she knew the teenage boy.

Saturday marked the third time a teen died in a shooting in the region since last Saturday, except in this case, police said it was accidental.

A man who didn't want to be identified and lives in the neighborhood said guns shouldn't get into the hands of people who don't know how to use them.

"They could accidentally shoot somebody else and hurt somebody else," the man said.

Ambler got rid of her gun for that exact reason when she had kids.

"I'm scared. Kids are curious, they get into everything," Ambler said. "You don't play with guns at all."

At this time, police are not saying who lives at the home, who the gun belongs to and whether it was safely stored. No adults were home when the shooting occurred.

Ambler just prays for all those involved.

"I feel bad for the mother, I really do. It's really upsetting," Ambler said.

Police said they charged the girl as a juvenile and she's cooperating with the investigation. She's currently at a juvenile detention facility awaiting her day in court.

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