COLUMBUS, MS (WTVA/CNN) – A 17-year-old in Mississippi died Wednesday after shooting himself in the head during a game of Russian roulette on Halloween, police say.
Witnesses say the victim, 17-year-old Tovaris Deloach, talked about Russian roulette prior to the shooting, which happened Tuesday night.
They say he took out a pistol, removed the ammunition cartridges from the weapon, reloaded the weapon with one cartridge and pulled the trigger after placing the gun to his head.
Police say the gun didn’t fire the first time, so Tovaris tried again and the gun went off.
Tovaris died at the hospital Wednesday.
Neighbor Macy Barker, who grew up with Tovaris, says she was at home when the shot was fired. She and her mother hurried next door to help the teenager.
“I really couldn’t look at him. I seen how he looked, and I walked out. My momma did what she could. She put pressure on the open wound until the ambulance got there,” Macy said.
Macy says the others inside the house left Tovaris there. Police have not confirmed how many people were at the house.
Seven hours after Tovaris shot himself, a shot rang out in the early morning, hitting Macy’s house.
“We were in the living room and having a conversation about what happened and how shocking it was. All you heard were gunshots and Mom said, ‘Get to the floor,’” Macy said.
Macy says they were told the shot that hit their home was meant for the victim’s house. Police are searching for the person who fired that retaliatory shot.
Friends say Tovaris was full of life, always happy to joke around and uplift those around him.
“He was a real fun person. He was very cool to be around. When you’re down, he always raised you up,” Macy said.
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