15-year-old boy accidentally shoots, kills self in Myakka City, deputies say

A 15-year-old boy is dead after an apparent accidental shooting in a Myakka City neighborhood on Thursday night, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded to a home on Albritton Road in response to a gunshot wound. EMS paramedics arrived at the scene and began life-saving measures, but the boy, Wyatt Austin Ballard-Hall, was pronounced dead.

According to Wyatt’s parents, they were in their bedroom when they heard the gunshot around 9 p.m. They went to investigate, deputies said, and the boy came back in the house and said he had shot himself.

During the investigation, deputies learned that Wyatt was outside with three friends when the shooting occurred.

According to deputies, he apparently had the gun out and accidentally shot himself in the upper body. The kids were scared and left the scene, deputies said. That’s when he went inside to alert his parents.

A handgun, believed to be the weapon involved in the shooting, was recovered at the scene.

He was not enrolled in any schools in the Manatee County School District, according to district spokesman Mike Barber.

The investigation is ongoing.

This story was originally published February 9, 2018 at 10:28 AM with the headline "15-year-old boy accidentally shoots, kills self in Myakka City, deputies say."