A 13-year-old boy in New York’s Hudson Valley has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of his 11-year-old friend, according to a statement from the City of Newburgh Police Department. The incident occurred in a home in Newburgh on a recent Thursday morning. Initial reports suggested that the younger boy had accidentally shot himself while playing with a firearm, but subsequent investigations led authorities to believe otherwise.
Police responded to a call from a residence on North Miller Street at 8:17 a.m. Upon arrival, they discovered a single victim inside the house, deceased from a gunshot wound. A firearm was recovered from the scene, and three juveniles were identified as persons of interest as police descended on the location.
The identity of the victim has not been disclosed, and the specific circumstances leading up to the shooting remain unclear. The deceased boy was a student in the Newburgh Enlarged City School District, according to a statement from the authorities. No further details about the victim were provided.
The school district expressed its deep sorrow over the tragic incident, stating, “The loss of one young life and the arrest of another is an unimaginable tragedy, one that deeply affects our entire school community. Two children, full of potential, now represent devastating losses in different ways.” The district extended its condolences to the families, friends, teachers, and all those affected by the tragedy.
In the aftermath of the shooting, all schools in Newburgh were placed on lockdown as police conducted their investigations. The City of Newburgh Police Department, in collaboration with the Non-Fatal Shooting Task Force and other partner agencies, managed to make an arrest within 12 hours of the incident.
The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.