Boy, 11, fatally shoots friend, falsely states friend came at him with knife, officials say
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An 11-year-old was charged with manslaughter after allegedly shooting friend. (Columbia County Sheriff's Office)
An 11-year-old Florida boy has been charged with manslaughter for allegedly shooting his friend last month and then falsely stating that his friend came at him with a knife, officials said Friday.
The boy was taken into custody without incident at a residence in Gilchrist County and is in juvenile detention in Gainesville, according to a release from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.
Jadon Vaughn, the 14-year-old victim, had visited the boy and his 13-year-old brother at their Lake City home when the fatal shooting occurred on Dec. 26, officials said. Lake City is about 50 miles northwest of Gainesville.
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The parents had left for the evening, leaving the teens home alone, the release said.
Around 7 p.m., Vaughn and the boy wrestled to see if the family dog would respond to the friend attacking the boy, according to the release. Then the boy retrieved a pistol, removed that magazine and fired it, according to the release.
The boy then called his father and told him that Vaughn had come at him with a knife, the report said. But later, the boy and his brother admitted to deputies that they had placed a knife near the teen after the shooting, which they believed would help them get in less trouble, officials said.
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“This is a tragic and avoidable death,” Sheriff Mark Hunter said in the release. “Our hearts are broken for both families; one has lost a son and the other will struggle with these events for the rest of their lives.”