The two men that came to buy the homemade firearms tried to run away without paying for it, prompting the teen to fire at them. But it hit his sister instead, killing her.
Trigger Warning: This story contains details about gun violence that may be disturbing to readers.
A 13-year-old boy has been arrested after he allegedly shot and killed his 14-year-old sister with a homemade firearm, known as a "ghost gun", according to CNN.
He ordered everything he needed online to make guns, including semi-automatic weapons. Once he assembled them, the 13-year-old boy sold them on the streets to others, Douglas County Sheriff Tim Pounds said, as per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Two people had turned up at the family's home in Douglasville, about 20 miles west of Atlanta, on November 27, 2021, to purchase a gun that the teenage boy had made, Pounds said in a news conference. But instead of paying for the firearm, they tried to flee from the home, prompting the boy to shoot at them with one of his homemade weapons. The shot killed the boy’s 14-year-old sister, Kyra Scott, who was described as a “beautiful, kind soul.”
Yusef McArthur El, 19, and Wilson Brandon Scott III, 13, have been charged with felony murder in connection to the death of a 14-year-old Kyra Scott during an attempted robbery, the Douglas County Superior Court said. https://t.co/Mprn97ZWjQ
— FOX 5 Atlanta (@FOX5Atlanta) December 1, 2021
“According to the investigation, he was shooting at the folks that took his weapon,” Pounds said. “But instead, he shot his sister. And it’s so sad his sister’s death happened.”
After Kyra was shot, someone in the home called 911, but the mother drove her injured daughter to a hospital immediately. Unfortunately, she couldn't be saved. The mother pulled into a Marathon gas station on Stewart Mill Road, but Kyra died before she could get help, according to police. She was then taken to the hospital where she was declared dead.
“A 13-year-old kid, doesn’t weigh but about 80 pounds, was able to make a weapon from start to finish,” Pounds said. “At 13 years old.”
"He's selling those weapons on the streets of Douglas County, Carroll County, Atlanta -- everywhere," the sheriff said. Pounds said that this was the first time he'd come across a case like this, where someone made their own guns from scratch. “Never in my entire career,” Pounds said. “Never heard of that.”
The teenage boy and 19-year-old Yusef Jabryil McArthur El—one of the two people who had come to buy the homemade gun — have been charged with felony murder, the sheriff's office said in a news release. They are still on the lookout for the third person involved.
A family member shared these photos of Kyra Scott. The 14-year-old was shot and killed, her 13-year-old brother charged in her murder. The Douglas County Sheriff’s office says he was making, selling guns when a sale turned deadly @cbs46 pic.twitter.com/GfAUiuPQeR
— Jasmina Alston (@JasminaAlstonTV) December 1, 2021
The 13-year-old has admitted to the shooting, Pounds said. The 13-year-old has been charged with felony murder, the sheriff's office said in a statement, and McArthur El has been charged with robbery and felony murder. El was being held at the Douglas County jail, and the 13-year-old was at a youth detention center.
Given how these "ghost guns" don't have a serial number, it's particularly hard to be tracked, making it somewhat of a headache for the cops. Now, the detectives hope to find out how the guns were made and if anyone else at the house was aware of it.
District Attorney Dalia Racine said that once the sheriff’s office completes its investigation, her office will review the findings.“Kyra Scott’s death is a tragedy of epic proportions. It’s an unspeakable loss for her family,” Racine said. “This loss is absolutely senseless, and many are grappling to understand how this could happen. We in Douglas County are a community that is in need of healing. Our village has failed to protect our youth.”
14 year old shot to death by her 13 year old brother who was manufacturing ghost guns at home.
— Jordan Beetle (@JordanBeetle) December 2, 2021
What a shithole that America is.
Kyra was a student at Chapel Hill High School, and grief counselors were brought in to help students and staff members cope with the death. “Kyra Scott, by all accounts, was a beautiful and kind soul, and nothing that is done in this case will bring her back,” Racine said. “The cost of losing our children is simply too high of a price to pay, and we must do better. And we as a community are going to do better.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the grieving family pay for her funeral expenses.
References:
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/02/us/kyra-scott-14-year-old-killed-brother/
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=262738749219211&set=a.217862943706792
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-with-funeral-for-my-14-year-old-sister
Cover Image Source: GoFundMe | Help with funeral for my 14 year old sister
