By Associated Press - Thursday, August 10, 2017

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for a 16-year-old accused of fatally shooting his 6-year-old brother as the child played video games.

The Sun Herald reports Albert Deonte Craft III faces a manslaughter charge in the death of Zaylan Sparkman. Harrison County prosecutor Herman Cox says Craft will likely have a preliminary hearing before a Justice Court judge next Wednesday.

Craft said in a sworn statement that he pointed a .38-caliber handgun at Sparkman to scare him. Craft says he pulled the trigger once, but the gun didn’t fire. The second time Craft pulled the trigger, the gun fired a bullet into the child’s stomach.

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Gulfport police Chief Leonard Papania says Craft illegally obtained the handgun that was used to shoot his brother.

It’s unclear if Craft has a lawyer.

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Information from: The Sun Herald, https://www.sunherald.com

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