8-year-old accidentally shoots, kills brother in Harford County

PYLESVILLE, Md. - An 8-year-old boy accidentally shot his eleven-year-old brother to death early Saturday morning in Harford County.

The tragedy unfolded a little after 7:00am when a desperate grandmother called Harford County Police to report that her grandson had been shot.

When officers arrived at the 1200 block of Ridge Road in Pylesville firefighters were treating Michael Alexander Szoke, 11, who had been shot in the head. Szoke died enroute to the medevac that was going to take to him  to Johns Hopkins Pediatric Center.

A preliminary investigation found that earlier Saturday morning while the boys were doing yard work for an elderly neighbor they found and removed a gun from a secure location. While playing with the gun in the woods near the home, the 8-year-old accidentally shot his older brother in the head.

Police and K9 units initially canvassed the area for a random shooter until shortly before 10:00am when investigators found a gun in the woods and determined the shooting was an accident.

There are no charges filed at this time, pending a review by the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office.