The father of a 10-year-old who allegedly shot and killed another child in California has been charged by the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office.
The boy is alleged to have shot the other child, Keith Frierson, also 10, with a stolen gun that he found in his father’s vehicle on Saturday.
The father, Arkete Davis, 53, appeared in court on Wednesday and was charged with criminal storage of a firearm, two counts of child endangerment, felon in possession of a firearm, and other crimes.
“Based on the facts currently known, the sole criminal liability and responsibility for the child’s death (lies) exclusively with this Defendant,” the District Attorney’s office said.
Brittani Frierson, Keith’s mother, told KCRA that her son was shot after losing a bicycle race outside the family’s apartment at around 4:30 p.m.
“My baby… asked me can he go outside to ride. Not even 15 minutes later, my baby was gone. All because he was enjoying a race with some other kids he considered his friends on his new bike,” the grieving mother said. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. It’s not OK.”
When police arrived at the scene of the shooting, they found Frierson bleeding from his head. He was transported to a hospital and later pronounced dead.
CNN reports, “Detectives found a gun in a nearby trash can ‘where Davis is believed to have tried to dispose of it,’ according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.”
“Instead of aiding my baby, he tried to hide it. He tried to cover it up. He left my baby there,” Brittani Frierson told KCRA. “He will pay for this. He will. We’ll get justice for my son. I will get justice for my son.”
After the shooting, both the father and the 10-year-old, who has not been publicly named due to his age, were arrested.
The child was temporarily held at the Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility. However, the District Attorney’s office has since announced that he will not face charges. He has been released into his mother’s custody.
The gun used in the shooting was reported stolen in 2017. Davis was also prohibited from owning a firearm due to his criminal record.
Davis is currently held without bond but is scheduled to appear in court again on Friday for a bail review.
