New Hope Teen Shot, Left Brain Dead with Illegal Ghost Gun
A New Hope teen is facing felony charges after allegedly shooting a friend in the head with an illegal gun.
According to court documents, the suspect and the victim were together at a New Hope residence in the 6000 block of Quebec Avenue last Wednesday.
The suspect, a 17-year-old, called 911 to report that his friend had shot himself.
Arriving police officers found a 17-year-old victim with a gunshot wound to the eye.
The victim was unconscious, not breathing and had no pulse.
A 9mm “ghost gun” — or a firearm assembled from a kit without a serial number — was at the victim’s feet.
The firearm had a modification called a binary trigger. With this modification, one round is fired when the shooter pulls the trigger and one round is fired when the trigger is released.
A witness told police that the pair had been playing with the firearm, taking pictures and videos throughout the night.
Based on witness statements and forensic evidence, investigators believe the suspect fired the fatal gunshot, not the victim.
The victim “has no brainwave activity and is being kept alive on life support in the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital,” the juvenile petition read.
The suspect has been charged with first-degree assault and possession of a machine gun or conversion kit.
See also: Complaint: Suspect in Fatal Brooklyn Park Shooting Felt ‘Disrespected’
