East Point boy, 12, shot dead

A 12-year-old East Point boy was shot and killed by a 14-year-old playmate early Wednesday evening at an apartment complex where both youths lived, according to police.

Investigators have yet to determine whether the shooting was intentional, said East Point Police Detective Cliff Chandler.

The two boys were playing alone inside the 14-year-old’s home at the Eagle’s Crest complex when the shooting occurred, Chandler said. Family members were outside the apartment.

Police arrived a little after 6 p.m. to find the 12-year-old unresponsive, shot once in the chest by a 12-gauge shotgun. He was pronounced dead at South Fulton Hospital, Chandler said.

His friend, and the gun he used to shoot the younger boy, were located soon after officers arrived on the scene. Investigators don’t yet know how the 14-year-old got the weapon.

The older boy, accompanied by his mother, was taken in for questioning but is unlikely to be kept overnight, Chandler said. When he learned his friend had died, the 14-year-old was “extremely, extremely distraught,” the detective said.