A 13-year old boy in Memphis Tennessee was charged with negligent homicide after accidentally shooting 9-year old Xavier Jackson with a gun that he found unsecured. A 26-year old man, Lindsey Williams, was also charged with negligent homicide in connection with the incident.

“Too many kids in Memphis have died this year,” a relative said.

“They don’t know no better,” according to a neighbor. “They see a gun or something, they think it’s a toy. They will play with it, you know.”

Another neighbor, Essie Bailey, said “[t]hese kids are out of school. They don’t have anything to do, so they’re gonna go rambling and searching for something. So they just need to be more careful and put the stuff up. Put their guns up.”

Sources:

Mitchell Koch and Luke Jones, “Teen and Adult Charged in Shooting that Killed Child at Northeast Memphis Apartment,” News 3 WREG Memphis, (March 13, 2020).

Zachary Downes, “Police Identify 9-year-old who was Shot and Killed,” News 3 WREG Memphis, (March 14, 2020).