A Pennsylvania boy has his charges upgraded following the death of his 14-year-old girlfriend whom he unintentionally shot last month.
According to Erie Police, 16-year-old Riley R. Shearer was already facing aggravated assault and possession of firearm charges in connection with the October 29th death of Audrey Maria Kellogg during a friends' gathering.
Kellogg succumbed to her injuries after she sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head; An eyewitness told investigators that Shearer was waving a shotgun’s barrel around recklessly when it accidentally discharged.
The teen said that he was trying to “clear” the shotgun and believed “it was safe” when the accident took place.
Police learned that Kellogg, Shearer, and another boy were “hanging out” at the apartment where four adults were present at the time of the shooting.
The owner kept the shotgun in his bedroom closet but Shearer found it; the man took the weapon away and “told him not to touch it and placed it in another section of his bedroom. Shortly later, “he heard a gunshot.”
Shearer now faces involuntary manslaughter charges after investigators determined he acted with recklessness or gross negligence.
