EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — A 15-year-old boy unintentionally fatally shot his 13-year-old brother while playing "cops and robbers" after the boys discovered their father's hidden gun at a Minnesota home, police said Monday.
Police and paramedics responded to an Eagan home Sunday morning after the 15-year-old reported his brother was unresponsive and bleeding.
The 15-year-old told dispatchers his brother had fallen and stabbed himself while running with a knife. But when police arrived, the older boy told officers he had accidentally shot his brother.
Police said they do not anticipate any arrests in the case.
The boys were home alone with their 11-year-old sister when they found an unloaded 9 mm pistol belonging to their father. A magazine with cartridges for the gun was nearby, police said.
At some point, the firearm was loaded, then thought to be unloaded while the boys chased each other as they played "cops and robbers," investigators said.
Police said the 15-year-old fired one round that struck his brother in the chest. The 13-year-old died at the scene. The 11-year-old sister did not witness the shooting and was not hurt, police said.
While police said the shooting "appears to be a horrible accident," the results of their investigation will be presented to the Dakota County Attorney's Office for review.
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