A 12-year-old Canton boy was fatally shot by his teenage sibling Friday night in what police and family described as an accidental shooting involving a handgun that had been brought into the home.
The boy, identified by Canton police as Tommy Lucas, was found unresponsive in a bedroom at a residence in the 3600 block of Ellis Avenue NE shortly after a 10:40 p.m. 911 call, according to police reports obtained by Jordan Miller News. Responding officers and medics attempted life-saving measures before Tommy was transported to Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Witnesses told investigators that Tommy’s 15-year-old brother was showing him a firearm when it discharged, striking the younger boy, police said. The teen fled the residence with the gun and was considered endangered and possibly suicidal before eventually turning himself in. An arrest warrant for reckless homicide had been issued on Saturday.
Jordan Miller News has chosen not to name the 15-year-old due to his age.
A woman who identified herself as the boys’ stepmother told dispatchers during a 7½-minute 911 call that three children had gone upstairs after eating when she heard a single gunshot. She initially believed the shot came from outside, but said the boys came running downstairs moments later. She claimed the 15-year-old had “snuck” the handgun into the home and that the weapon had come from “a little boy,” according to the call.
While still on the phone with dispatchers, another child in the home reported that the teen fled with the gun and said he was going to harm himself.
Police reports describe officers arriving to find Tommy in an upstairs bedroom with traumatic injuries consistent with a gunshot wound. Officers removed clothing and searched for entry and exit wounds while chest compressions were administered. Medics took over upon arrival and carried the boy from the home.
“Our primary concern right now is for [the teen’s] safety and wellbeing,” Canton Police Chief John Gabbard said in a statement issued Saturday, calling the incident “heartbreaking for the family and a tragedy for the community.”
No officers or additional family members were injured.
The case remains under investigation. Canton detectives and the Stark County Prosecutor’s Office are reviewing evidence and witness statements.
