A 14-year-old Alabama boy who had a reported “hit list” of family members has been arrested for fatally shooting his 17-year-old brother in Pike County.
According to CBS 3, the Pike County Sheriff’s Office received a call October 3 to Banks, where a man told officers that a 14-year-old shot his 17-year-old brother. The father told police that the 17-year-old vanished a day before the shooting, but hadn’t been reported missing.
Pike County Sheriff Russell Thomas said while interviewing the younger brother, the defendant admitted that he shot the 17-year-old and dragged to his body around 60 yards to the back of the family’s property.
No one else was home when the shooting occurred, police said.
Shortly before the discovery, Pike County High School contacted the father and said the defendant was despondent at school, claiming that he was upset about his brother. However, Pike County District Attorney James Tarbox stated that prior to the body’s discovery, the 14-year-old admitted to a friend that he killed his brother.
Investigators said the boy then solicited the friend’s help to murder and bury the rest of his family. The friend disclosed the plot to the Pike County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday; no other family members were injured.
Police later reportedly found the hit list inside the suspect’s backpack, with the names of several other family members written down. Further, several students at the defendant’s school reportedly said he made disturbing comments at school, but the school district said it didn’t have evidence of any threats made on campus.
Out of an abundance of caution, the school was shut down temporarily while police investigated.
Meanwhile, Pike County District Attorney James Tarbox is trying to determine whether to charge the shooter as an adult or juvenile. The decision is scheduled to be determined at a court hearing next week.
The defendant’s name will be released publicly should the DA decide to charge him as an adult.
Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
