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Man in custody after accidental shooting leaves 14-year-old dead in Pontiac

Man tells authorities he asked teen to move gun

PONTIAC, Mich. – A 14-year old was killed Monday in a shooting in Pontiac and investigators say it was an accident. 

A 20-year old is in police custody after the accidental shooting at a home on Willard Street, near Auburn Avenue and Paddock Street. 

“Well, when I woke up and saw all of the news people, here, I was like, 'What is going on?'” Roseta Guy said. 

A crime scene is what  Guy woke up to Monday. Within minutes, she got the news that her neighbor was shot and killed.

“I always called him little man, because he was so short,” Guy said.

Guy said he was little in stature, but his heart was big.

“He’s a very pleasant, respectable young man. He just goes to school. He always walks the dogs and he plays with all of the children in the neighborhood,” she said.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting happened around 2:30 a.m.

Deputies said someone inside the home had a gun under his mattress. He asked the 14-year old to move from the bed to another location in the home. He told detectives the gun went off accidentally, hitting the 14-year old in the chest.

That news hit very close for Guy.

"Any time anybody has lost a child or any relative, it’s heartfelt. You don’t know how hard it is until it comes to your house,” she said.

Neighbors said the victim was a student at Pontiac Middle School.