12 year old boyscout shoots, kills himself at camp
The deadly shooting of a 12-year-old Boy Scout at a summer camp in San Diego appeared at first to be self-inflicted, but now investigators are interviewing witnesses and examining forensic evidence to determine the cause of death.
The boy was shot at a campsite at the Fiesta Island Youth Camp and Youth Aquatic Center in Mission Bay on Monday morning, just a day after he had arrived with a troop of about 20 scouts from Las Vegas, police said.
San Diego police responding to a report of a suicide attempt at 7:35 a.m. found the victim inside a tent with a handgun nearby, Lt. Mike Hastings said. Paramedics tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the campsite, fire officials said.
Investigators said Monday afternoon that the boy may have been shot more than once in the upper torso, but would not say where the scout was wounded or how many times he was shot. Earlier, police had said the boy had shot himself in the head.
While investigators would not comment on whether anyone else were in the tent at time of the shooting, they said there are no eye witnesses.
Officials say they will not be able to determine if the shooting were a suicide until an autopsy has established the bullet's trajectory.
Just after the shooting Monday morning, police blocked off the camp entrance and began interviewing scouts and leaders, including the child's father, who was present at the camp.
The campground will be closed to outside people until the investigation is complete.
Caterer Robert Peletier was serving breakfast to about 400 scouts at the camp when he saw the shooting's immediate aftermath, including lots of tears when the victim's Las Vegas troop was told of the tragedy.
The Boy Scouts of America runs a summer camp on the patch of land in the middle of Mission Bay from June to August, offering merit badge opportunities in everything from kayaking to SCUBA to fire safety.
The location focuses on aquatics activities and does not include a shooting range.
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