Teen gets juvenile probation in accidental shooting death
Associated Press | Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 4 years, 6 months AGO
GREAT FALLS (AP) — A Great Falls boy has been sentenced to juvenile probation until he turns 21 for the accidental shooting death of his 14-year-old friend last November.
The boy answered "true" to a charge of negligent homicide during a Juvenile Court hearing in April as part of a plea agreement that recommended the probationary sentence for the death of Antonio Carlos Thierry Jr. The boy was sentenced Monday, the Great Falls Tribune reported.
The Associated Press is not identifying the boy because he is a juvenile. He was 14 when the shooting happened.
Deputy Cascade County Attorney Matt Robertson said the investigation determined the shooting was accidental.
The boy and Thierry were at the boy's house after school on Nov. 12, 2020, when the boy unlocked his father's gun safe and removed a rifle, investigators said. The boy said he knew he was not supposed to access firearms without supervision. His parents were not home.
The boys were playing with the gun when it discharged and hit Thierry. The boy knew the gun was loaded but he thought the safety was on, investigators said.
Prosecutors have been unable to reach Thierry's family since immediately following the shooting. The family disagreed with the negligent homicide charge, Robertson said.