A 10-year-old Sweet Home boy was taken into protective custody Friday morning, April 1, after allegedly firing shots in the vicinity of Husky Stadium.
According to Police Chief Jeff Lynn, at approximately 7:21 a.m. Friday, Sweet Home Police officers responded to a report of shots fired in the area of the stadium, in the 1100 block of 22nd Avenue in Sweet Home.
When the first responding officer arrived in the area, he located the boy in the parking lot on the north side of the facility. Lynn said the juvenile’s hands were initially hidden behind his back. When the officer ordered the juvenile to show his hands, the juvenile was holding a silver, semi-automatic handgun. The boy complied with the officer’s orders and dropped the firearm. The officer subsequently detained the juvenile.
According to Lynn, the juvenile indicated that he had gotten the firearm from his parent’s gun cabinet and had possession of it for “a while.” He told police that he had been firing at a tree in the area. Officers located several spent 9mm casings in the area. They also found two bullet holes in the side of a residence located at 1957 Long St., which is a family dwelling.
The residents were not at home during the time of the incident.
A resident in the area stated that they had been hearing gunshots in the vicinity over the last week and believed they were close but were unable to identify where they were coming from, Lynn said.
The boy was charged with Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Possessing and Discharging a Firearm at a School, Reckless Endangering, Criminal Trespass while in Possession of a Firearm, and Criminal Mischief, Lynn said.
Due to the suspect’s age, the Linn County District Attorney’s Office was contacted to obtain a court order to lodge the juvenile at the Linn-Benton Juvenile Detention Facility.