PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — Police have arrested a 13-year-old boy who they say is connected to an accidental shooting that hospitalized another 13-year-old boy on Sunday afternoon.
The Pinellas Park Police Department said officers arrived at the boy's home on 59th Street around 2 p.m.
There, they found the victim, who had been shot. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
During an investigation, detectives said they identified the boy, who was playing video games during the time of the shooting.
According to police, the boy entered a room within the home that was rented out. Police noted that the boy was not allowed to enter the room during that time.
Inside the room, police said the boy found a Glock 44 .22 caliber handgun and took it, hiding it in his bedroom.
While the two friends were playing video games, the boy showed the victim the gun he had found and started to play with it, according to police.
Police said the gun then accidentally went off and shot the victim in the torso. After the incident, the boy threw the weapon over a fence, which investigators later found.
The victim was initially identified by police as a 12-year-old, but they said they have since learned he was 13. He is in stable condition at the hospital.
Police said the boy was arrested and charged with armed burglary, grand theft of a firearm and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Police are withholding the names of both the boy and the victim due to their age.
PAY TO STAY
A Florida lawmaker says changes need to be made after the ABC Action News I-Team revealed the impact of Florida's "pay to stay" law, which allows inmates to be charged $50 a day, and in some cases, beyond the time they actually served.
