A 10-year-old was arrested Saturday by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office after allegedly shooting and killing another 10-year-old.
Sacramento County deputies arrived around 4:30 p.m. CST Saturday at an apartment complex in the Foothill Farms area, off Greenholme Drive, where they discovered an unresponsive boy with head and neck injuries.
Deputies administered CPR until the Sacramento Metro Fire Department arrived, and the victim was transported to a local hospital. The child was later pronounced deceased, according to the sheriff’s office.
Family members told NBC 3 that the victim was Keith “KJ” Frierson.
The incident reportedly began with the defendant going to his father’s vehicle to retrieve cigarettes. The defendant then found and took a firearm from the vehicle and “bragged that his father had a gun,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook.
The defendant then “proceeded to shoot the victim once and ran into a nearby apartment,” deputies said.
KJ’s aunt, Erika, said KJ had just walked out of his apartment to go bike riding when the shooting occurred.
“He was smart, very intelligent, kind, loving, respectful,” Erika said. “He didn’t deserve this. He still had a whole life to live.”
The sheriff’s office said deputies ordered the defendant out of the apartment building he ran into. He emerged with another child and adult identified as the defendant’s father, 53-year-old Arkete Davis.
Police found the firearm in a nearby trashcan and believe Davis, who was legally prohibited from possessing a gun, may have thrown it away before deputies arrived. The sheriff’s office added that the firearm was reported stolen in 2017.
The boy was arrested and taken to the Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility, charged with murder. His father was arrested and charged with child endangerment, multiple firearm-related offenses, and accessory after the fact.
The child’s identity has not been made public at this time. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Keith “KJ” Frierson/Family Handout via NBC 3 Sacramento]
