Parents Of Cedar Hill Child Who Accidentally Shot, Killed Himself Say Gun Was ‘Locked In Closet On Very High Shelf’

CEDAR HILL, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — Cedar Hill police are investigating after an 11-year-old boy was found dead in his parent’s bedroom Saturday night.

Around 7:45 p.m. Nov. 2, police responded to a shooting call on the 900 block of S. Highland Drive. When officers arrived, the boy’s grandfather said the victim was upstairs playing video games when he heard a noise upstairs. When he went upstairs to check on him, he found the 11-year-old — identified as Daron Sneed Jr. — on the floor next to a gun.

Another child, 8, was also at the home during the incident.

The parents — who were at an event Saturday night — told CBS 11’s Caroline Vandergriff that the gun found next to Sneed was locked up and stored way up high in a closet, and they have no idea how he got to it.

Sneed was a 6th grader at Permenter Middle School, where his parents said he was on the student council and played saxophone in the band. He was described as “incredibly smart” and had a love for boxing.

This is an ongoing investigation.