An 11-year-old boy in California died after shooting himself while attending a virtual class.
KTLA 5 reports that his microphone and camera were off during the incident, which happened on Wednesday morning. San Joaquin County sheriff’s deputies discovered him with a head wound just after 11 a.m. at his home in Woodbridge, California, in the northern part of the state.
Deputies arrived after receiving multiple calls about someone being shot. The boy later died at the hospital. His name hasn’t been publicized, and the Sheriff’s office didn’t share details about how he acquired the gun.
The boy was attending a sixth-grade Zoom class when he shot himself. His sister was distance-learning in another room when she heard the gun go off. After she found him, she told her teacher and ran to her neighbor’s house, where 911 was called.
“The sister [came] here, banging on the door,” a neighbor who called for help told NBC affiliate KCRA. “That little boy was one the nicest little boys you’ll ever want to know. He was special. Easygoing. He was the type of person who would never hurt anybody. Soft-spoken, with a beautiful smile."
“Our thoughts are with the family affected by this terrible tragedy,” superintendent Cathy Nichols-Washer wrote on the district’s Facebook page.
Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs also offered his condolences.
“During this time, we have to check in on each other and our children, and know that community is the antidote to crisis,” he wrote on Twitter. “We have to prioritize our children as we persist through this pandemic.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
