The boy allegedly turned himself in to police later that day and confessed to the shootings.
BEMIDJI, Minn. — A Bemidji, Minnesota teenager was charged by juvenile petition last week with shooting his parents, telling police he became “irate” after they revoked his cellphone privileges.
The petition states that in addition to his parents, the 16-year-old also shot and injured a bystander during the May 7 incident. He was charged with possessing a handgun under the age of 18; first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, causing substantial bodily harm.
According to Beltrami County prosecutors, law enforcement arrived at an apartment complex in the area of 2500 Itasca Loop Northwest in Bemidji, where they found the teen’s mother lying on the ground with an apparent gunshot wound to her abdomen. The complaint said she told arriving officers her son was angry about losing access to his cellphone and subsequently shot her and her husband. She added that her son also shot another person who was in the parking lot at the time of the incident.
The boy’s father and the bystander reportedly suffered gunshot wounds to their legs, both of them requiring tourniquets, according to court documents. All three were stabilized at the scene before being transferred to a nearby hospital.
The petition said the teen later turned himself in at the police station, allegedly admitting to the shootings and acknowledging he was able to obtain the gun without his parents’ knowledge.
Prosecutors said officers recovered the pistol under a pile of leaves near the Bemidji Middle School.
The suspect has not been publicly identified because of his age.