The boy who died after his on March 18 has been identified as Blaiker Yepez Mambel.
The Boulder County Coroner’s Office identified Blaiker, 16, as the boy pronounced dead after being fatally shot in an apartment in Longmontap Cloverbasin Village on Redmond Drive, according to Deputy Coroner Kolleen Hancock. Blaiker’s stepbrother had reportedly called the police after the shooting and said he’d killed someone.
The stepbrother is facing a first-degree murder charge for the shooting, according to the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office.
The stepbrother is a minor, and so his name has not been released, officials said.
Longmont police responded to the stepbrother’s call around 3:53 p.m. on March 18, when the boy said he’d killed someone, according to an arrest affidavit. The boy said he had a Glock handgun but would drop it when police arrived on the scene, then disconnected.
A woman inside the apartment then called dispatch and said a boy was injured.
When officers arrived, they found the boy, Blaiker, in a bedroom with a gunshot wound. They tried to save him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police arrested the stepbrother, who had left the apartment and was holding a Glock, which he dropped upon police commands, the affidavit states.
Family told police that Blaiker and his stepbrother didn’t get along and had physically fought before.
A family member told police she didn’t know how the stepbrother got the gun, and that there were no firearms in the home. Another family member confirmed there were no guns in the home and said he did not know the boy had a weapon.
A hearing will be held to determine if the case will remain in juvenile court or if the stepbrother will be tried as an adult, according to Shannon Carbone, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office.
