[StBernard] Teen Shoots 13-Year-Old Sister, Then Self

[Westley Annis]

Teen Shoots 13-Year-Old Sister, Then Self

POSTED: 1:32 pm CST February 16, 2009
UPDATED: 1:39 pm CST February 16, 2009


VIOLET, La. -- A 15-year-old boy allegedly shot his 13-year-old stepsister
in the face on Sunday, and then shot himself in the head, the St. Bernard
Parish sheriff said.

Both teens were taken to University Hospital in New Orleans. The girl was in
stable condition, and the boy was in critical condition, Sheriff Jack
Stephens said.

The teens' names have not been released because they are juveniles.

Stephens said the boy shot his sister at their home in Violet. The girl
called the sheriff's office, and shortly after deputies arrived, they heard
a gunshot at a vacant home next door. The boy had gone into the house and
shot himself in the head, Stephens said.

"This is a sad incident for everyone involved,'' St. Bernard Parish Chief
Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said Monday after speaking with family members
at the hospital. "Our hearts go out to the parents, who have lived in St.
Bernard Parish for many years.''

The parents were not home when the shooting happened, deputies said.

Deputies are investigating how the boy got the semiautomatic weapon they
recovered at the scene.