10-year-old boy shot to death by friend while playing with a handgun, investigators say

LANCASTER, S.C. — A 10-year-old South Carolina boy was shot and killed, and now investigators say another child may have pulled the trigger.

Erwin Elementary School 5th grader Dylan Twitty was found dead on Nov. 15, lying between two mobile homes in Lancaster, South Carolina, according to WBTV.

People surrounded him and were trying to help when deputies arrived around 4 p.m. to the mobile home park on Coastal Way. He was taken to a local hospital where he later died.

Deputies believe Twitty was visiting a 10-year-old friend after school. While he was at his friend's house, the other boy took out his parent's 9mm handgun, which was hidden under a mattress.

While they were playing in the living room, the gun went off, shooting Twitty. His friend carried him outside and left him there to be found by other children.

“This was a heartbreaking and tragic loss for the family of this 10-year-old victim, and everybody who knows about this case including all the officers who have and continue to work on it have been affected by what happened," said Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile, according to WBTV. "Although we are confident in the basic facts of this incident, this is an ongoing investigation."

Investigators have not released the other child's name or the name of that child's parent. On Tuesday, the parent was charged with unlawful neglect of a child.