CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says a suspect has been arrested after a 15-year-old boy’s death in east Charlotte last month.
CMPD officers were on Coriander Court around 4 p.m. on Feb. 12 for the shooting investigation. The street is located in a neighborhood off of Harrisburg Road.
“When officers arrived, they found a juvenile male victim who was shot inside the residence,” CMPD Maj. Brad Koch told Channel 9.
Channel 9 learned the teenager, Steven Gomez, was accidentally shot. He may not have been aware that a real gun was being pointed in his direction.
“The victim was not holding the gun at the time,” Koch said. “And he was playing a video game when he was accidentally shot.”
On March 6, CMPD announced that a suspect was arrested in Key West, Florida, for involuntary manslaughter in connection with the case. The suspect was identified as 32-year-old Kendal Edward Morris. He’s expected to be extradited back to North Carolina in the coming weeks, CMPD said.
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Someone living at the home told Channel 9′s Anthony Kustura that Gomez was at his uncle’s house, and said one of his uncle’s friends pulled the trigger.
“We got to stop playing around with these guns, you know,” Reggie Thompson, who lives nearby, told Kustura. “Play with it at the proper place, you know what I’m saying, a shooting range or something like that. But we got to be a little bit more careful, especially when we’ve got minors around, you know. Somebody lost their child, that’s really unfortunate.”
The accident is one of several over the last six months where kids have been shot.
“I’m a father,” Koch said. “I talk to the officers and the individuals that respond to the scene behind me, and calls like these -- you never want to have to respond to.”
He said it’s important for gun owners to make sure their guns are in a safe place, away from children.
“Anyone who purchases or owns a firearm is responsible for that firearm,” Koch said.
CMPD conducted the investigation into the evening Sunday.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
(WATCH BELOW: 1 dead after shooting in Pineville, police say)
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