Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

A 14-year-old girl was shot and killed by her brother, who was making and selling guns, Georgia sheriff says

Kyra Scott, 14, died after being shot by her brother, who was manufacturing and selling 'ghost guns,' according to the local sheriff's office.
(source: GoFundMe via CNN) Kyra Scott, 14, died after being shot by her brother, who was manufacturing and selling 'ghost guns,' according to the local sheriff's office. (source: GoFundMe via CNN)
Share

A 13-year-old boy who was manufacturing and selling has been arrested after he allegedly shot and killed his 14-year-old sister with one of his own homemade firearms, according to the Douglas County, Georgia, Sheriff's Office.

Two people had come to the family's home in Douglasville, about 32 kilometres west of Atlanta, on November 27 to purchase a gun that the 13-year-old made, Douglas County Sheriff Tim Pounds said in a news conference livestreamed by Wednesday.

But instead of buying the firearm, the pair stole the gun from the 13-year-old and fled the scene, the sheriff told reporters. The boy then shot at them as they were leaving, Pounds said, but instead struck his 14-year-old sister, who was identified by the sheriff's office as Kyra Scott. Investigators believe the weapon he used was one that he had made.

ARRESTS MADE IN CASE

Authorities have arrested Kyra's 13-year-old brother and 19-year-old Yusef Jabryil McArthur El -- one of the two people who had come to buy the homemade gun -- the sheriff's office said . The 13-year-old has admitted to the shooting, Pounds said.

The 13-year-old has been charged with felony murder, the sheriff's office said in a statement, and McArthur El has been charged with robbery and felony murder.

The Douglas County District Attorney's Office is waiting for the investigation to be turned over to prosecutors before making a decision on final charges, District Attorney Dalia Racine said Wednesday.

CNN is trying to determine if the defendants have legal representation who would comment on their behalf.

According to the news release from the sheriff's office, people at the home tried to transport Kyra to the hospital but stopped at a gas station, where they were met by EMTs and sheriff's deputies. Kyra was taken to a hospital where she was confirmed dead of her injuries.

"It's so sad ... because the mother's losing two kids at one time," Pounds said, telling reporters the boy had been making weapons from "start to finish."

"He's selling those weapons on the streets of Douglas County, Carroll County, Atlanta -- everywhere," the sheriff said.

Investigators are still searching for the third person involved, Pounds said, and the shooting remains under investigation.

Authorities did not detail exactly how Kyra Scott's brother was making homemade firearms or how long he'd been selling them. Investigators were looking at potential weapons charges for the 13-year-old, Lt. Jon Mauney of the sheriff's office said, but he declined to comment further, citing the ongoing investigation.

GHOST GUNS

-- self-assembled firearms that are often made with parts sold online and do not have serial numbers -- has been on the rise in some major cities.

, between 2016 and 2020, more than 23,000 un-serialized firearms were reported to have been recovered by law enforcement from potential crime scenes.

Pounds called the issue of ghost guns a "super big deal," adding, "there's no serial number, you can't trace that gun."

"It's real critical, and it's a bad thing for law enforcement all over the world," he said. "You can order everything you need to make that gun off of the internet and make it -- and it will fire."

set up by Kyra's sibling to raise money for her funeral service describes her as "the kindest little girl you would've ever met."

"She had the biggest heart and always wanted to be around her family," it says.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Debate gets testy as MPs consider confidence motion in PM Trudeau

MPs debated the first non-confidence motion of the fall House of Commons sitting today, seeing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre push once again for a snap election. But with votes secured to keep them afloat, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals were quick to turn the discussion into a referendum on the Conservative alternative.

A city councillor in British Columbia says an online mob of "extremists" and "politically motivated hackers" is responsible for uncovering and publicizing a photo of him wearing a blackface costume to a Halloween party in 2007.

We've all had neighbours we didn't like, but two people from Sault Ste. Marie have been awarded more than half a million dollars for the 'extreme' behaviour of the people who lived next to them.

Questions are being raised over the use of body cameras in stores as a way to combat crime.

An 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in a caught-on-video incident in Mississauga earlier this month is now facing auto theft charges in Toronto.

Local Spotlight

An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.

Fire has destroyed a barn and 17,000 plants at a family-owned business in Lower Coverdale, N.B.

Before influencers on social media, Canada’s Jeanne Beker was bringing the world of high fashion down to earth and as Calgary’s Glenbow Museum gets a major make-over, it will include a new exhibition showcasing the pop culture icon.

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

A Nova Scotian YouTuber has launched a mini-truck bookmobile.

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.