Thirteen-year-old boy to be tried as adult in fatal shooting of nine-year-old brother in game of 'cops and robbers'

Teenager charged with homicide and aggravated assault

A 13-year-old boy in Pennsylvania will be tried as an adult after officials alleged he shot his nine-year-old brother during a game of "cops and robbers", according to reports.

The teenager was charged with homicide and aggravated assault and is being held without bail, The Patriot-News reported.

Officers were called to a home in Waynesboro around 6am last Wednesday and emergency crews arrived to find a nine-year-old bleeding from his head and in cardiac arrest, the outlet said.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by the newspaper, a state trooper said the children had been playing "cops and robbers" when the 13-year-old retrieved one of his father’s loaded guns from an unlocked console of a couch.

The boys’ father told officers he kept the two loaded 9 mm handguns in the house “for home protection”, the report said.

Police alleged that the boy fatally shot his brother in the head because he was “not complying with his demands” during the game.

The nine-year-old boy later died at Waynesboro Hospital, reports said. The affidavit said that the 13-year-old had placed the initial 911 call to report a fall.

The boys' guardians were not facing any charges as of Sunday, WHTM reported.