A teenager, who allegedly shot dead his five-year-old brother in Penn Hills last month, is facing homicide and gun charges.
Connor Wolfe was found shot in Prescott Drive on Nov. 22, and his 13-year-old brother, Keegan McGivern, was arrested Tuesday in connection with his death, reported Trib Live.
The brothers and two siblings were home where the gun was left unsecured, according to New York Daily News.
Cops initially thought that Connor had been shot by a sibling, who was six years old. When cops reached their house, they found Connor on the bedroom floor with his mom performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The gun belonging to the boy's father was also was found in the same room.
On Tuesday, the teenager's grandmother took him to Allegheny County Police headquarters where he told officers that on Nov. 22 he became angry with his siblings because they were jumping on the bed. He told them to stop, but they didn't listen to their elder brother.
Detectives determined that four kids, aged 3, 5, 6 and 13, were left without supervision with a loaded and unsecured gun within reach, said police. The teenager knew the gun was accessible and he got hold of it and pointed it at his little brother to scare him. McGivern believed that the safety was on, so he pulled the trigger while pointing the gun at his brother, who was a kindergartner in Penn Hills School District. He breathed his last at a children’s hospital in Pittsburgh. The cause of death was identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office as a gunshot wound to the head and neck.
The teen is charged with possession of a firearm by a minor and criminal homicide. A statement from the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office read that he was charged as an adult because "Pennsylvania law does not permit a charge of criminal homicide to be filed directly in juvenile court.” After being arraigned Tuesday night, McGivern was taken to a juvenile housing facility. The statement said that it is their intention to transfer the case to "juvenile court forthwith and allow a judge to decide what is the best course of supervision and treatment for this child."
Court records show that a preliminary hearing for McGivern is scheduled for Jan. 19 next year.
Police Inspector Michael Peairs held a press conference Wednesday where he said that they expect to charge at least one of the parents for having an unsecured gun within reach of the kids, reported CBS Pittsburgh.
