Thirteen-year-old Devonta Carpenter died in an accidental shooting on Saturday. Now his friends and neighbors say it will be tough because they will miss him.
WILSON, N.C. -- Wilson teenager Jared Glenn had just seen his friend Devonta Carpenter on Saturday.
"He was riding his bike. I said, 'What's up,' and kept it moving," Glenn said. The children grew up with each other, spending almost every day together.
Now Jared says he can't believe his good friend is dead.
"It kind of messes with my head because I just seen him the other day. How do you see somebody one day, and you just not see them for the rest of your life?"
The 13-year-old was shot in the chest Saturday evening in Wilson. He was rushed to Wilson Medical Center where he later died. Police said the shooting happened while Carpenter was visiting his grandmother at her house on Churchill Avenue.
Friends say his death was an accident.
"I wish I could have done something for him before he did all that. I want to know where he had got [the gun] from," Glenn said.
"To have a sudden death, especially the death of a child, how do you prepare for that?" wondered Glenn's mother, Larnita.
"It's really shocking that they were playing with a gun and it just went off. It's just sad," added Juauan Artis. He visits his grandmother who lives in the same area as Carpenter. He said he had seen the boys playing games a lot.
It's a sadness Glenn says will take a long time to heal.
"He stayed right around the corner, so I got to pass the same house. It's going to hurt me for a while now, but it takes time to heal."
Wilson police said the fatal shooting was an accident. They said Carpenter made a mistake and shot himself.
Per standard policy, the Wilson County District Attorney's Office is looking into whether they will press charges.
The Wilson Daily Times reported that funeral arrangements for Devonta Carpenter are being handled by Hamilton Funeral Home.