A 12-year-old boy in Milwaukee was charged with fatally shooting his adult neighbor, after the man refused to sell him a gun.
Milwaukee resident Brandon Felton was shot on March 15 and was discovered dead inside his home on March 18, three days later.
After discovering a receipt for a Domino’s pizza delivery that had been made using the boy’s mobile number at the crime scene, police were able to link the shooting to the 12-year-old.
After initially denying being in Felton’s house, the boy twice changed his story when speaking with the police. He made up a story in order to blame Felton’s friend, whom he called “Sam,” for the shooting.
According to the federal complaint, the child had been texting at least one other person for about a week about stealing a shotgun and an AR-15-style rifle that Felton was allegedly in possession of.
Given the age of the child and the particulars of the case, his identity is being concealed. He appeared in court for the first time on March 27.
Judge Nidhi Kashyap of Milwaukee County set the boy’s cash bail at $100,000 on Monday.
In Wisconsin, it is unusual but not unheard of for children to face homicide charges as adults. Minors who commit certain serious crimes must face adult criminal charges, according to state law.
