A teen who claimed he accidentally shot his friend in the head while playing with a loaded gun has been charged with manslaughter, the Broward State Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.
Jeff Dilworth, 14, is expected to turn himself in, along with his mother, in the "near future," prosecutors said. Shari Edwards, who owned the gun, is charged with culpable negligence.
Police originally ruled the shooting was accidental, but prosecutors have not revealed why they brought charges on the boy.
On April 28, Dilworth and his friend, 13-year-old Daniel Torres, were playing at Dilworth's Hollywood home when they went to his mom's nightstand and took out a loaded 9 mm pistol.
Dilworth told police that he watched Torres unload the gun then took it from him. He squeezed the trigger and the bullet still in the chamber struck Torres in the back of the head.
A 911 call of the incident featured a frantic Dilworth pleading with the operator that it was an accident.
"I shot my best friend in the head. Am I going to go to jail?" said the boy soon after emergency operators answered the call. "It was an accident. I'm sorry."
Torres' family said the boy was home to avoid bullies at school. Torres' father later said he didn't believe Dilworth's story and that it was not accident. He described Dilworth and Edwards as unsympathetic and belligerent.
If the teen is convicted, Dilworth faces 30 years in prison. His mother faces up to five years in prison for leaving the gun loaded with such easy access.
