JACKSON, Miss. — A teenager in Mississippi has died after he was shot in the chest by friends who police say were playing a prank.
The deputy chief of the Jackson Police Department told WLBT that a 15-year-old and two friends, ages 17 and 19, pulled up to a friend’s house with the intention of scaring him.
In what police described as a “prank gone wrong,” the trio wore ski masks and had toy water guns that appeared to be assault rifles when they approached the home, WAPT reported.
The target of the prank, who is also a teenager, had a real gun, WAPT reported. The teen fired once at the 15-year-old, hitting him in the chest, after seeing the toy gun pointed at him, the station reported.
The boys were all friends, police told WLBT.
The deputy police chief told WAPT that police are investigating the case a “justified homicide,” but that the teen could face charges if detectives determine the gun was stolen, used in another crime, or obtained illegally.
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