PHOENIX — A 13-year-old boy was fatally shot Sunday in Phoenix after a young man pulled out a firearm while playing with toy guns, police said.
Earlric Reynolds sustained a fatal gunshot wound while he and Adolfo Villalva, 18, were playing with Nerf guns yesterday afternoon near 7th Avenue and Hatcher Road.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Un niño de 13 años murió en Phoenix después de que un adolescente sacara un arma real durante un juego con pistolas Nerf
Villalva allegedly told police he pulled out a real gun during the game and mistakenly fired the weapon at the 13-year-old, police said. Villalva and others then moved Reynolds to the apartment complex's parking lot and Villalva hid the firearm before officers arrived on scene.
Reynolds later died at the hospital.
Court records show Villalva allegedly told investigators his mother keeps a gun under the seat of her car. The teenager allegedly took the gun and placed it in his pocket because it "looked cool."
Villalva indicated he was handling the Nerf toy gun and the real gun at the same time while playing around with Reynolds. While pointing both objects at the 13-year-old, Villalva said he pulled what he thought was the toy's trigger but actually pulled the firearm's trigger.
Police have taken Villalva into custody and he's facing charges of manslaughter and evidence tampering.
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