Shortly after midnight a 16-year-old was accidentally shot and killed in Rankin County.

According to Sheriff Bryan Bailey, the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a homeowner in the Cedar Ridge neighborhood off of Highway 468 in Pearl. The caller stated her sixteen year-old-brother had just been accidentally shot.

Whenever deputies arrived at the scene, they saw a 16-year-old male suffering from a gunshot wound to the lower back.

According to statements received on the scene, officers learned two young men fired a couple of rounds, they returned home. The victim walked through a partially opened privacy gate followed by the second young man. When the second young man attempted to open the gate fully, the weapon discharged, striking the victim in the lower back.

Authorities believe the shooting was accidental and no foul play is suspected.

This is an ongoing investigation.

