18-year-old allegedly kills 8-year-old brother after trading puppy for shotgun

Authorities in Baltimore have charged an 18-year-old man in connection with the shooting death of his 8-year-old brother. According to WBAL-TV, police said the fatal December 30 incident occurred when the suspect Devin Wilson was looking after his four younger siblings. 

The deceased, identified as Dylan King, sustained gunshot wounds to the back, head and shoulders. In the wake of the fatal incident, police said officers who arrived at the home found Wilson in a different home. The clothes he was wearing were said to be considerably stained with suspected blood. Police also said Wilson had also placed a shotgun against his head, adding that they managed to convince him to put the weapon down. 

Police added that Dylan later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital. His cause of death was ruled as homicide by a single shotgun wound. Following the shooting, authorities said Wilson got in touch with his mother and told her to come home because his 8-year-old brother had been shot. 

The charging document also stated that Wilson initially told his stepfather Dylan had shot himself accidentally. But police determined that wasn’t the case after reviewing the shot pattern at the scene. A neighbor who hurriedly went to the scene performed CPR on Dylan in an attempt to save him. “All of a sudden, you heard this screaming and yelling,” Robert Carter, who is a neighbor, said. “Then, we found out the child died, but we still didn’t know what happened until a day later.”

Police said the shotgun was bought by Wilson, adding that the purchase wasn’t deemed illegal because the suspect is 18 and has no known criminal history, WBAL-TV reported. The charging document also stated that Wilson was able to purchase the Silver Eagle pump action shotgun by selling or exchanging a puppy for the weapon. The identity of the person he bought the weapon from is unknown.

“Another tragedy in the Black community, but it’s children, and that goes to show you how easy it is for a child, an 18-year-old, to get a shotgun. That’s how easy it is,” said Carter.

Wilson was arrested last Tuesday on charges of first and second-degree murder.