12-year-old Eunice Boy Dies After Accidentally Shooting Himself

A 12-year-old is dead after accidentally shooting himself in the head. Eunice Police Chief Randy Fontenot says Monday night the boy was handling a semi-automatic handgun that he believed was unloaded.

“He dropped the magazine from the handgun, and at that point it appears that he thought the handgun was unloaded, not taking into account that there was still a bullet in the chamber,” Fontenot said.

Fontenot says that’s when the boy accidentally shot himself. The boy was airlifted to a Baton Rouge hospital, where he later died from his injuries. He says they believe the boy was trying to intimidate his little brother.

“He knew he wasn’t supposed to be touching that gun when his parents weren’t around, but it was an altercation he had had with his little brother. I think he was trying to scare his brother. It wasn’t an intentional thing,” Fontenot said.

Fontenot says this was purely an accident, and no charges will be filed. He says the gun was accessible in the home because there’s not many places you can keep a gun out of reach for a 12-year-old.

“The gun was not locked, which is probably the case you’ll see in most police officers’ homes. A locked and unloaded gun is not much use to a police officer who has that for self-defense,” Fontenot said.