Sibling kills 12-year-old boy in accidental shooting, North Carolina sheriff says

A 12-year-old boy was found fatally shot in rural eastern North Carolina, and a sibling may be responsible, according to investigators.

It happened around 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 18, in a community of gravel roads and single-family homes northwest of Kinston, according to the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office. Kinston is about an 80-mile drive southeast from Raleigh.

The identity of the victim has not been released, pending notification of “other family members.”

“The preliminary investigation into the shooting death of the 12-year-old boy appears to be an accidental shooting by a sibling with a .22-caliber rifle,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The (sheriff’s office) is consulting with the District Attorney’s office for guidance and the investigation into this incident continues.”

Details of what the siblings were doing at the time of the shooting have not been revealed.

Investigators say the boy was a student at Contentnea-Savannah School, which has students in kindergarten through the eighth grade.

The Lenoir County Public Schools arranged for guidance counselors to be on campus Friday, April 19, officials said. The public school has approximately 838 students, according to usnews.com.

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