A New Mexico father and his teen son were both booked after the 14-year-old shot and killed a 13-year-old girl using one of his dad’s weapons Friday, state authorities alleged.
The teen boy pointed the gun at the girl and then fired while a group of four juveniles were hanging out and listening to music inside the boy’s Questa home around 2:30 p.m., the New Mexico Department of Public Safety said in a news release.
After the girl was fatally wounded, the teen dragged her body outside and went back inside, authorities said.
Shortly after the shooting, the father of the 14-year-old, William Brown, also returned home.
The 39-year-old and his son then refused to go outside for 30 minutes during a standoff with state police, the department said.
The teen, who was not identified by officials, was charged with an open count of murder in the first degree and two counts of tampering with evidence.
He also faces two counts of assault on a police officer, though the public safety department did not elaborate further on what led to those charges.
Meanwhile, Brown was charged with negligent making a firearm accessible to a minor resulting in death stemming from allegedly owning guns inside the home, police said.
Both were booked at separate detention centers, with the 14-year-old going to a juvenile facility.
“I am saddened by the tragedy that happened yesterday,” Questa Village Mayor John Anthony Ortega said in a Facebook post. “My thoughts and prayers go out to the families, community members and First Responders who were affected by it.”
The victim’s name is not being released out of respect for her family, the public safety department said.
The incident remains under investigation with information expected to be turned over to the district attorney’s office, state authorities said.