12-year-old Boy Accidentally Shot and Killed by Older Brother

In his home in Canton, Ohio, 12-year-old Thomas J. Lucas, was accidentally shot and killed by his 15-year-old brother, Amir Lucas, with a 9mm handgun. Another child in the home witnessed the shooting and “stated that Amir was showing Thomas something on the firearm and he accidentally shot him.” The stepmother of both boys placed the 911 call, and later wrote that Thomas liked to play games and listen to music when he felt sad. “I know he loved his siblings,” and looked up to Amir. “Sometimes I felt he wanted to be like him.”

Amir originally fled, but later turned himself in and has been charged with reckless homicide and improperly discharging a firearm into a habitation or school. The incident remains under investigation to help determine where Amir got the gun, who owned it, and whether anyone else will be charged.

The mayor issued a statement, “What I want everyone to keep in mind is this is a family whose lives have been changed forever. Children witnessed immeasurable trauma. A mother lost her son, and a young man’s life has been changed forever.”  

Source:

Nancy Molnar, “Canton Mother Remember ‘Loving and Caring’ Son Lost in Fatal Shooting,” beaconjournal.com (January 12, 2026).