13-Year-Old Shot Dead By His White, 75-Year-Old Nextdoor Neighbor

A 13-year-old Black boy was shot dead by his 75-year-old White next door neighbor, John Henry Spooner, after falsely being accused of breaking into the shooter’s home and stealing guns, WDJT-TV, CBS-58 in Milwaukee reports. Spooner has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and his bond is set at $300,000.

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The victim, Darius Simmons, was taking out the trash on Thursday when he was shot. His mother, Patricia Larry, saw the entire incident. Spooner reportedly confronted the teen as he took out the trash and asked if he had his stolen some of his guns. The boy, who held his hands up, said he didn’t have anything. Spooner then shot the boy. When Darius turned to run, Spooner shot him in the back. The boy died of his injuries hours later. He was unarmed.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Spooner has confessed to shooting Darius, even as he held his hands up and ran away.

Spooner had complained to a neighborhood alderman about his home being broken into during the past week. But Darius was in school during the break-in Spooner was referring to said the boy’s aunt, Betty McCuiston.

“He was gunned down for something he did not do,” she told the Journal-Sentinel.

McCuiston also said the boy and his mother moved into the neighborhood, ironically, because they felt it would be safer.

McCuiston said her sister moved to the neighborhood on May 1 from the north side because she wanted something quieter and safer than her old neighborhood.