A young boy was tragically shot dead at his grandmother’s home where he and other relatives celebrated his cousin’s birthday.
The 12-year-old victim was identified as Markee Jones of Minnesota who was celebrating his cousin’s birthday in St. Paul on Saturday when he and the other children were left in the presence of a loaded firearm.
According to the reports, the gun was brought to the party at the boy’s grandmother’s house by one of the guests and was left unattended while the children were playing.
It is said that the gun suddenly went off and fatally wounded the child. Another boy, 14, has since been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.
Markee’s devastated family has now spoken out and called for justice as they insisted they didn’t know that one of the guests brought a gun with them to the party. The family also called on that person to confess saying they know who is responsible for the accident.
“Why would he bring a gun into my sister’s house?” one relative pondered. “That’s not right.”
Fighting back tears, the boy’s uncle, Martez Hill, added: “My nephews and his brothers and his cousins were playing with a gun. This should’ve never happened. This was not the day for that. This should’ve never happened to my nephew.
“I love my nephews, I love them like they’re my sons. We are shook, we are devastated, we are beyond angry. We also want justice.”
Meanwhile, Markee’s aunt, Lakrisha, said she hoped the tragic incident would ring a bell in firearms owners and bring attention to the need for safety precautions when it comes to weapons.
“To make sure you keep your gun safely locked away and kids are curious. Now I have a nephew to bury because of somebody else’s mistake,” she said.
Our thoughts remain with Markee’s loved ones during this challenging time. The investigation remains ongoing.