July 17, 2021: West Jordan Police Lt. Richard Bell briefs reporters about the shooting death of a 13-year-old child early Saturday morning. Photo: Screenshot, Facebook Live
WEST JORDAN, Utah — Police responded to a call from a church parking lot early Saturday morning on a report that a male had been shot.
Lt. Richard Bell with the West Jordan Police Department said police responded to 5208 West Cycleman Way in West Jordan.
“We had two friends, a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old who had agreed to meet up and sneak out,” Lt. Bell said. Police believe that the kids live near the area of the church where they were found.
Lt. Bell said that one of the teenagers brought a gun to the meeting, but he would not disclose which teen it was.
“It truly was a tragic and unfortunate accident,” Bell said.
Police are also not disclosing exactly what kind of gun was found at the scene, other than to say it was a handgun. They are unclear about how many shots were fired.
“During the course of our investigation,” Lt. Bell said, “it is not our belief that he intended to kill his friend.
“However we did determine that there was some criminal culpability.”
The 15-year-old was booked into a detention center on manslaughter charges.
“What this was this morning, frankly, was a series of poor decisions made by some adolescents that two families are now going to have to deal with for the rest of their lives.”
Original reporting follows:
WEST JORDAN, Utah — One person is dead after an overnight shooting.
An investigation continues. This story will be updated.