HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Deputies were investigating in the Stone Lake neighborhood after a 16-year-old was shot and killed in a barn early Monday morning.
The incident occurred just north of the Grand Parkway and east of Mueschke Road, near the Tomball area.
Deputies responded at 3:30 a.m. to a report of a male being shot on Stone Creek Court. A 16-year-old was found dead with a gunshot wound to the chest in a barn behind a home. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A group of six teens, ages 16 to 17, were present. They were drinking alcohol and handling a firearm that discharged, deputies said.
The victim's 17-year-old brother, Rhyder Tettleton, was charged with manslaughter and taken into custody, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
The teens' parents were not home when the shooting happened.
Investigators learned that the teens were handling several firearms. Tettleton said he thought the firearm he was handling was unloaded when he pointed it at his brother and pulled the trigger.
"The individual who fired the shot is the victim’s 17-year-old brother. We believe this was a tragic situation caused by reckless handling of a firearm," HCSO Sgt. Jason Brown, homicide division, said.
"There are multiple firearms in the house, and we are still investigating how the firearm was accessed," Brown said.
The teens attempted first aid and called 911 immediately after the shooting, deputies said.
"This was a tragic situation caused by poor decision-making and lack of supervision," Brown said.