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Peter Cox and Riham Feshir
St. Paul, Minn.

Eagan police: 'Cops and robbers' led to accidental shooting of boy, 13

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Updated 3 p.m. | Posted 5:46 a.m.

A 15-year-old playing "cops and robbers" with a gun found at home thought it was unloaded when he unintentionally pulled the trigger, killing his 13-year-old brother Sunday, Eagan police say.

Authorities were called to the home on the 1700 block of Silver Bell Circle just after 11 a.m. Sunday on a report that the boy was "unresponsive and bleeding from an unspecified wound," police said. First responders were unable to revive the boy.

Eagan authorities initially called the death "suspicious."

On Monday afternoon, police said the 911 caller had first reported his brother accidentally stabbed himself while running with a knife.

Later, the unnamed 15-year-old told responding officers he lied to dispatchers, and admitted he accidentally shot his brother.

"Through further questioning, investigators learned the boys recently discovered their father owned a handgun and stored it within the residence. While home alone with their 11-year-old sister, the boys found the hidden 9 mm pistol which was unloaded," Eagan police said in a statement.

A magazine with bullets for the weapon was nearby. At some point, the gun was loaded and then thought to be unloaded, police said.

The boys began chasing each other while playing "cops and robbers" when the 15-year-old pulled the trigger and unintentionally fired the weapon toward his brother.

One round was fired, striking the boy in the chest. Police identified the 13-year-old shot and killed as Suhayb Hassan.

"At the time he was very scared because he knew he wasn't supposed to be playing with a firearm," Eagan Police Detective Desiree Schroepfer said.

The 11-year-old was uninjured and did not witness the incident.

No one was arrested and police don't expect to make any arrests.

Eagan officials said they'll present their evidence to the Dakota County Attorney's Office for review but that the shooting "appears to be a horrible accident."

"This is an unfortunate tragedy for both the family and the community," Schroepfer said.