There's new information concerning a December shooting death in the city of Van Wert.
Back on December 19th of 2021, Van Wert police were called to 617 South Tyler Street on reports of a 13-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the head. They found the teen unresponsive in an upstairs bedroom. A continuing investigation found the gun involved in the shooting had been stolen from a lockbox inside a pickup truck in the 300 block of North Jefferson. Police also linked the deceased child's phone to that location.
Along with the autopsy, the investigation determined the child died from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound after he and a friend mishandled the weapon. The Van Wert Police Department says charges of receiving stolen property are pending against the deceased child's friend, and the matter has been referred to the Van Wert County Prosecutor's Office.
