TAMPA, Fla. — An unexpected loss forced a family from Tampa into mourning.
Twelve-year-old James Lett Jr. was shot and killed Sunday afternoon at a friend's home. Police say a 14-year-old was also shot in the chest. He's still at the hospital recovering.
"I got to the hospital and I knew it was bad," Latoya Lett, James' aunt, said.
Tampa Police say the shooting happened at a home on East 111th Avenue. A group of young kids from 12 to 15 years old were together when a fight broke out and someone pulled out a gun that was in the home.
"They aimed it at my nephew and my nephew was like, 'Why you got a gun? Why do you got this gun pointing at me it's not that serious?' They said my nephew tried to grab the gun away from them so I guess while he was ruffling with the gun the guys end up shooting my nephew in the face," Latoya Lett said.
Police said are still working to learn who owns the gun, but Latoya Lett said the teen who grabbed it didn't live in there.
"What got so serious to where you had to grab a gun? What was so bad that you had to grab a gun to take a child's life," Latoya Lett said.
Now the funny and goofy child won't see his family again. Latoya Lett said some of the older boys in the group were upset with him for an incident two weeks prior, but a gun should've never been pulled.
"I would never think I would bury my nephew before me. It's very hard because he was just living his life," Latoya Lett said.
James' family just wants to know what happened and for the parents involved to be held accountable.
"I fault the parents being that that gun wasn't in a safe place. If it was in a safe place, my nephew will still be here and we wouldn't be going through the grieving of having to bury a little 12-year-old because of a senseless act," Lett said.
Tampa Police said they haven't made an arrest in this case and are still trying to piece together this investigation. The family is working to plan a funeral for James. If you'd like to help with donations, you can click here.