An Alabama 14-year-old who is accused of fatally shooting his teen brother had compiled a “hit list” that included other family members he wanted to kill, authorities said Wednesday.
The teenager, who was not identified by law enforcement, is charged with killing his 17-year-old brother, WSFA reported.
Law enforcement authorities did not say what led to the shooting but said the teen told them he had shot his brother from the front porch.
Pike County Sheriff Russell Thomas said the 14-year-old told authorities that, “his brother got up and staggered out of the residence and out the back door, where he then fell at the bottom of the steps. He (the teen) dragged him about 60 yards to the back of the property.”
When the boys’ father got home about 7:30 p.m. Monday and asked where the 17-year-old was, nobody had an answer, according to AL.com.
The investigation into the teen’s death began Tuesday after the younger brother called his father to pick him up from school, saying he was “upset” his older brother was missing, according to the sheriff’s office.
After the teen and his father returned home, the two began to search for the older son. Eventually, the father found his son’s body at the back of their property and called law enforcement, AL.com reported.
The father told investigators his older child had been missing since Monday but that he had not reported it to law enforcement, the sheriff’s office said.
According to WSFA, the sheriff’s office learned that the suspect told a friend what he had done, officials said.
“He then asked his friend to help him murder the rest of his family and help him bury their bodies,” the sheriff’s statement said. “The friend also stated the 14-year-old had a hit list in his bookbag of family members he wanted to kill and made statements about wanting to shoot up the school. After searching the bookbag at the residence, deputies located the hit list of family members that was reported.”
“We are very fortunate and blessed we do not have more casualties as a result of a 14-year-old having access to a weapon,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.