Des Moines teen accidentally shoots, kills himself, police say

Luke Nozicka | The Des Moines Register

A Des Moines teenager accidentally shot and killed himself earlier this week on the city's east side, authorities said.

James Shorter, 17, was sitting in a car Monday when he moved a handgun and accidentally shot himself in the 1500 block of Walker Street in the city's Martin Luther King Jr. Park neighborhood, police said. He suffered one gunshot wound to the neck.

At least two of Shorter's relatives were nearby when the gun went off, Des Moines police Sgt. Joe Frentress said. Shorter was rushed to Mercy Medical Center, where he died during surgery, Frentress said.

Detectives called the shooting an accident, Frentress said. Police have not determined how Shorter obtained the weapon.

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