An 11-year-old New York boy was fatally shot Thursday morning while reportedly playing with a gun at an Orange County home.
The incident occurred around 8:15 a.m. in Newburgh, about two hours north of New York City directly across the Hudson River from Beacon.
The boy and several of his friends had allegedly been playing with his older brother’s gun when it suddenly went off, according to multiple reports. It’s unclear how the children got access to the weapon, described as a handgun, or which one of them fired it.
After the boy’s mother called 911, she confronted the older brother about having the gun, prompting him to flee the scene. He was later found by law enforcement, sources told ABC 7.
Neither the victim nor the older brother have publicly been identified.
In the wake of the shooting, all Newburgh district schools were placed on a secure lockout (no entry or exit permitted) out of an abundance of caution. The lockout was later lifted but all after-school activities were canceled.
Few other details about the incident were released. The circumstances of the shooting remain under investigation, with the ATF and FBI assisting the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
