Teen Shot Dead After Paintball Game, Tried to Protect Friend
A 16-year-old boy was shot dead on Tuesday after arguing with his friend over a paintball game. Dalton Williams was found with a gunshot wound to the chest; paramedics did all they could, but he was pronounced dead. Now his friend is being charged with first-degree murder as an adult.
According to police, the boys spent the day playing paintball and afterwards, returned to the shooter's home. The boys, both 16, began to wrestle and argue about the game, a witness told detectives. The shooter then went and retrieved a semi-automatic shotgun, pointed it at the witness and loaded it with a shotgun shell.
Arrest affidavits state that the witness tried to leave the home, and that Williams put himself between the witness and the shooter. The gun then went off, hitting Williams directly in the chest. Whether the shooting was intentional is still up for debate, but according to the witness, the shooter knew what he was doing and purposely set out to cause harm.
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After seeing the entire ordeal, the witness, still shaken, called 911. When authorities responded, they quickly took Williams to the hospital and arrested his friend. His name has not been released because he is a minor and charges are currently still pending.
The incident has taken the entire South Dakota community of Pierre by shock, and officials are working to ensure that anyone who needs counseling or support receives it.
"We're continuing the investigation to make sure we understand everything that we believe happened inside the house," Pierre police chief Bob Grandpre told the Associated Press.
The news is certain to add to the current debate over gun control in the United States. President Obama recently promised to provide "real action, real soon" and has appointed a committee to look at our current gun laws. The incident also comes just one week after 26 people were brutally murdered at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
