A boy died after an accidental shooting in Prince George’s County Monday afternoon.
First-grader Amari Perkins, 6, suffered a gunshot wound believed to be self-inflected at a home in the 6000 block of Arbutus Lane in Clinton, Md.
The victim reportedly got the gun from a Spider-Man book bag that was left on the floor.
A 20-year-old man living in the same house as the victim, Raymond Allen Brown, placed the gun in the book bag, police said.
Officials told News4 that the gun does not belong to Brown but would not specify to whom it belongs to or if it’s even registered. Authorities would not comment on who the Spider-Man backpack belongs too, either, but Amari had a similar one, News4's Erika Gonzalez reported.
Brown was not in the home at the time of the shooting, but the homeowner -- the victim's grandmother -- and the victim's 9- and 11-year-old sisters were.
Police have charged Brown with reckless endangerment and firearm access by a minor.
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A relative of the victim said Brown was like family and the tragedy was an accident. She said he returned to the home soon after the incident and was shaking and offering any help he could give, Gonzalez reported.
"This didn't need to happen," Assistant Police Chief Kevin Davis said. "It seems like it happens every year somewhere around within the Washington metropolitan area. It just does not need to happen, and this was an irresponsible act that caused this very, very unnecessary death, and it's tragic, and out hearts and thoughts and prayers go out to this family."
Grief counselors and psychologists will be at Amari's school, James Ryder Randall Elementary School, to help teachers and students cope with the death.
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