15-Year-Old Shoots, Kills Another Teen After The Victim Unlawfully Entered His House

A 15-year-old boy shot and killed an 18-year-old boy after the victim unlawfully entered the suspect's home in Mount Vernon on Wednesday, Dec. 28.

The victim, identified as 18-year-old Colby Ketchum, unlawfully entered the 15-year-old teen suspect's home on Red Fox Road, Mount Vernon at around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 28. After entering the residence, Ketchum allegedly pointed a shotgun at the 15-year-old boy. After seeing Ketchum point the gun at him, a heated altercation ensued between the two teens, FOX10 News reported.

As the argument escalated, the 15-year-old teen suspect shot and killed him with his own gun.

According to Detective Archie Nile, the two teens reportedly knew each other before the shooting and are believed to have some kind of prior history. He added that the officers are trying to determine the motive behind the shooting.

“More than likely, we believe that there was some kind of, that both parties had some kind of prior history,” said Detective Niles. “At this time, it’s still ongoing on determining the motive on why this incident had to happen.”

According to Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), the gun used to kill Ketchum is linked to another crime.

The 15-year-old is the offender in a prior Mount Vernon shooting on Tom Hopkins Road weeks ago. The boy was allegedly riding by shooting into houses. Meanwhile, the bullets hit someone in the head and hip.

MCSO said this homicide is “justified.” Meanwhile, the 15-year-old was taken to Strickland Youth Center for an unrelated crime.

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

In a similar but unrelated incident, an 11-year-old boy was accidentally shot dead by his younger 10-year-old brother while they were visiting their relative's house in Allentown, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Dec. 27, as previously reported.

The two boys, their older brother, and their parents unexpectedly stopped at a relative’s home in the 600 block of North Front Street on Tuesday, Dec. 27. The relative’s 24-year-old son, who legally owns two 9mm handguns, had them out of a lock box and was cleaning them.

When he heard the boys arrive upstairs, he reportedly attempted to quickly hide the guns thinking that the boys might be coming down to play video games.

As predicted, the boys did go down to play video games. When they arrived, the 24-year-old cousin went upstairs to visit with the rest of the family. A short while later, the family members heard the loud sound of a gunshot, and the 11-year-old boy was found to be seriously injured. He was immediately rushed to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries and died.