Pueblo police say a 17-year-old who died after being shot in the head Monday night was playing a game similar to Russian roulette.
“The juvenile victim was in possession of a revolver-type pistol and was observed loading a single bullet into the cylinder, spinning the cylinder and then putting it to his own head and pulling the trigger,” police said in a Tuesday news release.
Police say witnesses told investigators the boy repeated the “action” several times before the revolver fired.
Officials say the boy was shot once.
The shooting happened just before midnight on the 2100 block of East 14th Street. Police say the boy was still breathing when they first arrived and was taken to a hospital where he died.
“The initial investigation revealed that a number of juveniles were at the address at the time of the incident,” police said.
Officers were dispatched to the scene after receiving reports of a boy shooting himself in the head.
Police say the Pueblo County Coroner’s Office will release the boy’s name after his family has been notified.
An investigation into the teen’s death is ongoing.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or
