A Texas teenager is currently detained at the Henry Wade Juvenile Detention Facility and will face a capital murder charge once his trial gets underway. The 15-year-old youngster, whose identity is hidden from the public, admitted to shooting his mother while she was looking after her two-year-old grandchild.
Reports cited that members of the Dallas Police Department were called in to do a welfare check at the home of Aime Salinas-Alvarado, 47, after receiving reports of an abandoned toddler. The cops later learned that the baby was dropped off at the home of Salinas-Alvarado's parents.
In their welfare check into the Salinas-Alvarado home, they found the mother dead in her house with a gunshot wound to her head. The police determined that it was her teenage son who fired a single shot, killing the mother instantly, before the boy took the baby to his mother's parents.
Confessing to the Crime
The teenager then took his mother's car to drive to a friend's house, where the cops were able to arrest and take him into custody. The boy then confessed to the crime while under investigation. However, the police could not yet say the motive behind the killing. The authorities also did not reveal the teenager's relationship to the toddler his mother was looking after.
Family members have set up a GoFundMe for Salinas-Alvarado's funeral, which has more than $5,000 as of press time. Those who know the victim also shared their sentiments on social media. Rene Salinas said that his sister-in-law was the "kindest person" he knows, adding that his whole family is heartbroken over the loss.
In Texas, capital murder is punishable by death. However, state prosecutors may not pursue the death penalty in some cases.
Teen Shoots Child on Thanksgiving
Meanwhile, a 13-year-old teenager from Minnesota, who was filming a social media video with his friends, shot and killed a five-year-old child on Thanksgiving. The police said that the incident might have been an accident, but they have taken the teenager to the juvenile detention center.
Initial investigations showed that the teenager was holding the gun while his friends tried to do a music video. At some point, however, the boy fired the gun and hit the five-year-old child who was inside the house.
A neighbor told the cops that she empathized with the teenager who was likely "freaking out" after realizing what had happened.
"He is only a kid so now he is losing his life after a 5-year-old lost his life," the neighbor said.
Reports cited that the boy is facing charges of manslaughter. The owner of the gun, on the other hand, might also be charged with a crime, depending on the outcome of the investigations. The Minnesota police took this chance to remind adults to conceal their firearms and lock the ammunition separately to prevent this unnecessary tragedy.
According to Gun Violence Archive, killings by shooting have soared amid the pandemic. In the first five months of 2021, an estimated 54 people a day in the U.S. die due to gun violence. Six years ago, this average was at 40 a day.
