The Commonwealth's Attorney announced Tuesday no charges will be filed in the death of a Virginia teen who was shot and killed by one of his neighbors earlier this year.
After a night of partying in March 2013, 16-year-old Caleb Gordley mistakenly entered a house two doors down from his own in Sterling, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C. He was shot by the homeowner, who believed the boy was an intruder.
Caleb sneaked out of the house that night to go to a party, his father said. After several hours of drinking, the Park View High School student and his friends walked back to the neighborhood. That's when the teen made a fateful mistake.
Caleb and a friend jumped a fence that runs behind his home and the neighbor’s, his parents said, but instead of entering his home, Caleb climbed through an unlocked window and began walking up the neighbor's stairway. That man — a Loudoun County volunteer firefighter — shot and killed Caleb.
"Whether he gave a warning shot or yelled at him, I'm pretty sure Caleb thought it was me yelling at him," Shawn Gordley, Caleb's father said. "He kept walking toward what he thought was his room, because the houses are identical."
According to a statement released Tuesday by the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, the Gordley family felt as though all of their questions regarding the incident had been answered.
MORE ON NBCWASHINGTON.COM
- Parents Forgive, Don't Blame Shooter in Death of 16-Year-Old
- Police: Intruder Killed by Sterling Homeowner
