Boy, 11, Charged With Manslaughter in Shooting Death of 8-Year-Old Girl His Mother Was Babysitting

An 11-year-old boy in North Carolina has been charged with manslaughter for allegedly stealing a relative's gun and shooting an 8-year-old girl in the head, authorities said.

The boy's mother was babysitting the girl and her 5-year-old sister when her son allegedly fired a handgun at the 8-year-old, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department.

The boy, who was not identified because of his age, was taken into custody Friday and is now being held by the Department of Juvenile Justice, authorities said.

The child has been charged with manslaughter and two counts of larceny of a firearm, according to the sheriff's department.

The girl was shot on July 25, and died two days later at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, her family said.

The girl and her sister were dropped off by their father, who said he received a call about an hour later saying his 8-year-old daughter had been shot.

"This has been a horrible nightmare, still doesn't feel real," dad Fon Dockery said Thursday at a press conference. "It's hard to put into words how we're trying to navigate, three weeks later, for something to be done."

The boy's mother had been a regular babysitter for his girls, he said.

A GoFundMe has been established by friends of the family. It identifies the child as Jenesis Dockery. "She is remembered by those who knew her as a joyful, energetic child with Jesus in her heart and a perfect smile on her face," the site says.

As of Monday more than $24,000 had been raised for the family.

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