Police arrested a nine-year-old child after a 32-year-old man was found with a gunshot wound at a Utah home (Picture: Tooele City Police Department)
A nine-year-old child allegedly shot dead an adult family member at their home in Utah.
The child was arrested after shooting a male family member in the head, police said on Tuesday.
Police responded to reports of a man bleeding from his head and unconscious at the family’s home in Tooele on Friday night, said police Cpl Colbey Bentley.
The 32-year-old man was rushed to a hospital in Salt Lake County in ‘extremely’ critical condition, and died from his injuries over the weekend, Bentley said.
An investigation led to the child’s arrest.
Cops have not provided details on the exact family relationship that the victim and suspect had. Neither has been identified.
Bentley noted the ‘extremely sensitive nature’ of the case. The corporal who has worked in law enforcement for eight years said neither he nor his colleagues had ever dealt with such a crime involving a nine-year-old.
‘The impact (is being) felt not just by the family, but the community in general,’ said Bentley, according to KSL.com.
‘This is something that’s such an outlier that we’ve never dealt with before… We’re trying to figure out how to cope with it and properly investigate it.’
The child has not been charged.
Police are in the early stages of the investigation, Bentley said, and declined to release further details on the events leading up to the shooting.
The man was found near 380 W Millcreek Way in Tooele, which is about 35 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.
Cops said there is no threat to the public.
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