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Teen who accidentally killed best friend appears in court

BURIEN, Wash. — The teen under investigation for accidentally shooting and killing his best friend in Burien appeared in juvenile court on Thursday afternoon.

The 16-year-old is under investigation for manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of Onjeray Devereaux, 14. KIRO 7 is not identifying the suspect because he's a minor.

The families of both teens stood in the courtroom, supporting each other and grieving.

"I haven't even got to the grieving yet, I'm still trying to believe it," said Jerry Frederick, the victim's grandfather. "They're kids and I mean, it's a hard thing. Kids aren't supposed to be doing this, nobody is supposed to be doing this to anybody."

According to court documents released Thursday afternoon, the teens were smoking marijuana in a garage in Burien while the 16-year-old was handling a semiautomatic handgun. It went off, hitting Devereaux in the head. The teen had his grandparents call 911 and tried to help his wounded friend, according to detectives. Devereaux died from his injuries.

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"It's just a tragic accident," said Carla Anderson, the mother of the suspect. "Those boys loved each other, they were best friends. They loved each other. Look at all these lives, all these lives."

Anderson told KIRO-7 she told her son to look around the courtroom to see all of the people who came to support him.

The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is investigating where the teen got the gun, as family members didn't seem to know.

"I don't know where the gun came from," said Frederick. "I'm stumped."

Prosecutors are expecting to make a charging decision on Friday.