Boy, 13, kills sister, 14, with homemade gun he was trying to sell

A 13-year-old Georgia boy shot and killed his 14-year-old sister with a handmade gun in an attempt to fire at two people who took a weapon from him without paying.

Douglas County Sheriff department said that the boy, whose identity was not revealed, ordered for materials online and made semi-automatic weapons at home, reported The Atlanta Journal Constitution.

“A 13-year-old kid, doesn’t weigh but about 80 pounds, was able to make a weapon from start to finish,” said Sheriff Tim Pounds on Wednesday. “At 13 years old.”

In a statement on Twitter, the police said the incident occurred on 27 November when two people arrived at a home in Douglasville to purchase a gun from the teenager. Instead of paying for the gun, the two fled, which is when police believe that the boy fired a shot in an attempt to stop them.

“According to the investigation, he was shooting at the folks that took his weapon,” said Mr Pounds.

“But instead, he shot his sister. And it’s so sad his sister’s death happened.”

The boy’s sister was a student at the Chapel Hill High Schools.

While a call to 911 was placed from the home, police said the child’s mother decided to drive her to the hospital. She died on the way, reported Associated Press (AP).

Investigators found out about the teenager’s gun making business after going through his family home. He has been arrested along with 19-year-old Yusef McArthur El, who was attempting to buy the gun from him.

Both of them have been charged with murder while Mr El also has been additionally charged with robbery-sudden snatch.

Police said that additional charges are possible as investigators are trying to determine how many weapons the teenager had made.

Ghost guns, or guns that are assembled from parts bought online, are particularly hard to find as they don’t have serial numbers, said the Sheriff’s office.

More than 23,000 unserialized firearms were reported to have been recovered by law enforcement from potential crime scenes between 2016 and 2020, according to a Justice Department news release in May.

“We have a tremendous amount of work that has to be done on this,” said Lt Jon Mauney.

District Attorney Dalia Racine condoled the girl’s death.

“This loss is absolutely senseless, and many are grappling to understand how this could happen. We in Douglas County are a community that is in need of healing. Our village has failed to protect our youth.”

The District Attorney’s office will review findings after the investigation is completed.

The boy is being held in juvenile detention while Mr El is in custody in Douglas County Jail.