11-year-old boy shoots, kills 8-year-old girl in argument over puppies
A 11-year-old Tennessee boy is being charged with murder after shooting and killing an 8-year-old classmate following an argument over puppies. The boy’s name has not been released; the East Tennessee community is in shock.
According to local media, the boy and girl–8-year-old McKayla Dyer–got involved in a minor spat over puppies. McKayla was playing with her dog in her front yard, and the boy asked if he could join. The 8-year-old girl said no. (The family has since said that the 11-year-old boy had bullied their daughter before.)
The 11-year-old boy then went back to his house, retrieved his father’s 12-gauge shotgun from an unlocked gun cabinet, and fired the weapon at McKayla from inside his house. The girl was struck in the chest. She was rushed to nearby Morristown-Hamblen hospital, but died in surgery.
LIVE: White Pine principal holds press conference after student shot, killed by 11 yo #WATE http://t.co/SZEq8qvzfL pic.twitter.com/6x5IAZQIZT
— WATE 6 On Your Side (@6News) October 5, 2015
The picture breaks my heart. Mckayla Dyer’s puppy waits outside her home after she was killed by her classmate @6Newspic.twitter.com/jWI0zBQqX0 — Shelby Miller (@SMillerWATE) October 6, 2015
The girl’s mother, Latasha Dyer, gave an emotional interview following her daughter’s death. “When we first moved to White Pine,” she said, “the little boy was bullying McKayla. He was making fun of her, calling her names just being mean to her. I had to go the principal about him and he quit for a while.
“I want her back in my arms,” Latasha continued. “This is not fair. Hold and kiss your babies every night because you’re never promised the next day with them.”
The boy’s family has not yet given a statement.
(Photo credits: Puppies one, two via Flickr)
