2 teenage brothers charged with aiding shooter who killed their 15-year-old cousin
Two teenage boys were charged in connection with a shooting that killed their 15-year-old cousin Tyra Terry in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Though Terry was identified by family previously, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner formally identified her on Tuesday. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Each teen, 16 and 17, faces one count of aiding an offender after the fact.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS previously reported that officers responded to a report of a shooting at a home on the 3400 block of Logan Avenue North around 1:50 p.m. on Saturday.
Juvenile petitions obtained by KSTP state that the 911 caller said a girl at the home had been shot in the torso and was unconscious. When officers got to the scene, they found the two teens standing next to Terry, who was lying on the floor.
First responders gave Terry first aid, but she was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Police found a loaded, clear extended magazine with 9mm ammunition — which matched the bullet recovered from Terry’s chest.
A witness told police she heard a gunshot upstairs and the boys yelling, “It was an accident!” According to the petition, the suspect — one of her son’s friends — walked past the witness, went downstairs and left the house. His eyes were “bugged out.”
A second witness told police she didn’t hear the shot but awoke to screaming. She said she saw the suspect in the room with the two boys. She also told police, “Everyone kept saying it’s an accident!” and “The gun just went off!”
According to court documents, she said the suspect initially tried to help but left before police arrived.
Police spoke with both teens, who said they weren’t in the room at the time of the shooting and claimed they didn’t know the suspect was there.
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Court documents state that investigators believe the shooting was due to the gun being negligently handled.
KSTP reporter Ben Henry attended a vigil for Terry on Monday.