A 14-year-old boy was shot dead at a friend’s sleepover after another teen blasted him in the chest with a gun he thought was not loaded.
Warren Wimberly died on Saturday at a home in Moss Bluff, Louisiana, USA, police have confirmed.
Officer Stitch Guillory told KSLA that the shooter, also aged 14, “didn’t realise the gun he had was loaded when he pointed it at Wimberly and the gun was discharged.”
Authorities have launched a homicide investigation into the killing which took place at Warren's schoolfriend's house.
Guillory told KPLC that parents need to warn their kids about the dangers of playing with firearms.
He said: “This is an opportunity for parents to sit their kids down and have a long hard conversation with them about safety of guns and how important it is to not play with guns.
“You know, I have a 14-year-old myself and I sat him down this morning and had a long conversation with him.”
The victim’s aunt Julie Richardson has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for his funeral.
She says a “tragedy hit our family.”
Tributes to the young boy from relatives and friends have flooded social media.
One school pal Emma Broussard revealed her heartache at his death on Facebook.
She wrote: "I don’t get it, honestly I know you're gone but it doesn’t feel real.
"It’s like a bad dream everyone says your gone but I feel like you're still here - like nothing really happened, like this is a sick joke.
"It’s gonna be hard with out you."
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