Boy's Crossbow Killing Was No Accident: Cops

13-year-old boy is in custody in Oklahoma
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 24, 2017 11:17 AM CDT
Cops: 13-Year-Old Killed Playmate With Crossbow
A broadhead arrow tip is seen here.   (Wikimedia/Vibrantspirit)

A 13-year-old boy is in custody on suspicion of murder in Oklahoma, where authorities say he shot a playmate with a crossbow after a "disagreement." Police in Lincoln County responded to a 911 call around 6pm Saturday and found 10-year-old Austin Almanza dead. He'd been shot with a broadhead arrow that traveled through his abdomen before hitting his 8-year-old brother, Ayden, in the arm, police say, per the Oklahoman and KFOR. Ayden was out of a local hospital Sunday, per KOCO, while a 13-year-old boy remains in custody as an investigation continues.

Sheriff Charlie Dougherty says the 13-year-old was playing with Austin and Ayden in a treehouse on a vacant lot, as he'd done several times before, when the boys had their alleged disagreement, per KOCO and BuzzFeed News. The teenager then picked up the crossbow and fired an arrow fitted with a broadhead blade, Dougherty says. "Austin is not dead because of an accident. He's dead because of an action that took place," the sheriff adds. The identity of the 13-year-old hasn't been released, as he's a minor. Dougherty says charges against him are expected next week. (This man killed his mom and two brothers with a crossbow weeks before his planned wedding.)

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