Boy Who Shot, Killed Himself Was Using Gun To Scratch

A boy who accidentally shot and killed himself last month was scratching his head with a loaded handgun when it discharged, Mount Vernon police said.

Jason Ray Tyquiengco, 16, died from a single gunshot wound to the temple on Dec. 28.

Police reports indicate Tyquiengco apparently failed to heed warnings from other young people to leave the gun alone. Three witnesses gave officers and detectives similar accounts of the shooting, which police determined was unintentional.

One of the youths apparently brought the gun, found some time earlier, to the home and it was placed on the couch. Tyquiengco picked it up, placed the barrel in his mouth and then began scratching his head with it, one witness, a young woman, said.

Moments later, he again put the barrel to his temple

and made a scratching motion, then she saw a bright flash, heard a loud bang and realized he had shot himself, she told police.