14-year-old boy, dad arrested after teen allegedly used father’s gun to kill teenage girl in New Mexico

Police arrested a man and his 14-year-old son after the teen allegedly shot and killed a 13-year-old girl in northern New Mexico, police said. 

The teens, who have not been publicly identified, were in the 14-year-old boy’s Questa home on Friday afternoon listening to music with two other juveniles when the shooting happened, officials said. At some point, the 14-year-old boy allegedly took out a pistol, shot the teenage girl and dragged her body outside. 

A short time later, William Brown, the 39-year-old father of the teen, returned home, police said. He and the teen refused to come out of the house for about 30 minutes after officers arrived. 

Police arrested the teen on a charge of open count of murder in the first degree. They also charged him with two counts of tampering with evidence and two counts of assault on a police officer. Officials did not specify why the teen was charged with assaulting police. 

Brown, who allegedly owned the firearms, was charged with negligent making a firearm accessible to a minor resulting in death, police said. He was booked into the Taos County Detention Center and his son was booked into the San Juan Juvenile Detention Center.

Officials have not responded to requests for information about the other two juveniles who were in the home at the time of the shooting.

Questa Mayor John Anthony Ortega said in a social media post that he was saddened by the “tragedy.” A vigil was scheduled for Sunday evening.

Around 4.6 million minors in the U.S. live in homes with at least one loaded, unlocked firearm, according to Gifford Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.