Palmetto teen ‘accidentally’ shot in head by 15-year-old friend, Manatee sheriff says
A teenager was “accidentally” shot in the head by a friend on Tuesday near Palmetto, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday in a press release.
The shooting happened at 3:53 p.m. in the 900 block of 14th St. E.
Initially, a witness told deputies the 16-year-old victim accidentally shot himself in the head while holding a gun.
Detectives later discovered a 15-year-old friend of the victim was playing with the gun when it accidentally went off and a bullet struck the teen in the head, the release said.
He was taken to Blake Hospital and is in critical condition.
The 15-year-old was arrested and charged with attempted manslaughter.
He was booked into Manatee Regional Juvenile Detention Center.
This story was originally published July 20, 2022 at 11:33 AM.
CORRECTION: The location of the shooting was just outside of Palmetto in Manatee County. An earlier version of this story listed the wrong city.
