HOUSTON – The gun that was used during an accidental shooting Wednesday that killed a 16-year-old boy had been stolen during a break-in the night before, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
Gonzalez said in a tweet that 17-year-old Sinardo Cooke has been charged with manslaughter in connection with the shooting that killed 16-year-old Chase Swain about 1:20 p.m. at a vacant home on Flagstaff Lane.
Deputies said four teenagers were inside of the home playing with the gun when it went off.
Swain was taken to a hospital, where he later died, deputies said.
Gonzalez said Thursday that Cooke obtained the gun after breaking into a car the night before the shooting.
Cooke has been booked into the Harris County Jail. A mug shot has not been released.
Update to shooting on Flagstaff Ln: a charge of Manslaughter has been accepted against 17-yr-old Sinardo Cooke. Cooke shot Chase Swain (16) while handling a pistol. Cooke had obtained the pistol the night before in a car burglary. Cooke was arrested and booked in jail. #HouNews https://t.co/gwRL7Ureyi
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) April 22, 2021