A 10-year-old boy in Sacramento shot and killed another 10-year-old boy with a stolen gun he found inside his felon father's car while retrieving a pack of cigarettes, authorities said.
Sacramento County sheriff's deputies charged the boy with murder and charged his father, Arkete Davis, 53, with multiple felonies, including use of a firearm and child endangerment.
Davis was also charged with being an accessory after the fact for allegedly trying to throw the gun in a trash can after the shooting.
On Dec. 30 at approximately 4:30 p.m., deputies responded to a call of a juvenile shot at an apartment complex in the Foothill Farms area. When they arrived, they found an unresponsive boy “bleeding from his head and neck” in the middle of the parking lot.
Officers attempted CPR until the Sacramento Metro Fire Department arrived and rushed the boy to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The sheriff's office later confirmed that the victim was only 10 years old.
Witnesses at the scene reported that the gunman fled to a nearby apartment. Officers arrived at the apartment and safely detained Davis and the two juveniles.
As homicide detectives and crime scene investigators interviewed witnesses and combed the scene for evidence, one of the detained boys, Davis' 10-year-old son, found his father holding a pack of cigarettes. It turned out that he had taken his father's gun when he went out to retrieve it. car.
The sheriff's office said the boy “bragged” to the victim that his father had a gun, then fired once and ran back to the apartment.
Detectives later found a gun stolen in 2017 in a nearby dumpster, which they believe Davis tried to hide.
Davis has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2011 with theft, fraud and felony drug charges in both California and Texas, according to public records reviewed by the Post.
Because of his prior felony convictions, Davis was legally prohibited from owning or possessing firearms.
Shortly after the shooting, family members identified the deceased boy as Keith Frierson, affectionately known as “KJ.” KCRA.
On Sunday, KJ's aunt Erica spoke fondly of her nephew as she placed flowers, balloons and candles around the parking lot as a makeshift memorial to her lost child.
“He was smart, very intelligent, kind, loving and respectful,” she told the outlet. He still had life left. ”
She said KJ had just stepped outside to ride his bike when the tragic shooting occurred.
“I had been outside for less than 15 minutes when a little boy shot my nephew,” she said.
The alleged child shooter was arrested and taken to the Sacramento County Juvenile Detention Facility, where he was charged with murder. A sheriff's office spokeswoman said if the criminal case proceeds, the boy could “theoretically” be kept in prison until he is 25 if convicted.
Davis was also charged with carrying a stolen and loaded firearm in a vehicle, possession of a firearm by a felon, first-degree criminal storage of a firearm, accessory after the fact, and endangering the life or health of a child. He was also arrested and charged with other felonies.
The sheriff's office told the Post that while Davis' fate is now in the hands of the courts, “based on the charges, he may be facing a very critical period.”
He is being held on $500,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court on January 3.
