From staff reports

A teenage boy was killed and another arrested Wednesday night in Reardan in a shooting described by Reardan Police Chief Andy Manke as “a horrible misfortune.”

Five teenage boys, between the ages of 14 and 17, were playing video games in the basement of a home at the corner of South Laurel Street and West Summit Avenue when one of the teenagers who doesn’t live at the residence showed his friends a handgun.

“Somehow, during those kids’ interaction, the handgun went off, and we haven’t determined how yet,” Manke said. “The round that was discharged from the handgun struck a 15-year-old juvenile at the scene, and he is now deceased.”

The 15-year-old was identified as Shadrach Hall-Turner.

Lincoln County dispatchers received the call at about 4:45 p.m. A deputy attempted CPR on Hall-Turner.

A 16-year-old was taken into custody. His initial charges include manslaughter and unlawful possession of a firearm, Manke said.

“These five boys were all friends and they all hang out together. It wasn’t a crime of hate or violence. It was just a horrible misfortune,” the chief said. “But along with this type of misfortune, there are consequences that will have to be suffered. The entire community is going to be suffering from the loss of this juvenile.”

School had been canceled for the day due to snow, so the teenagers were taking the day off.

There were no adults in the home, Manke said. Police did not find drugs or alcohol at the scene, he said.

“It’s going to be a huge eye-opener for the community. This type of thing doesn’t happen in Reardan,” Manke said. “It’s going to raise awareness, I hope, for parents who are in possession of firearms to keep those secured from kids.

“I know that 15-year-old, 16-year-old boys in a rural area are very interested in firearms because it’s part of the culture out here, but we really have to have parental supervision when we have firearms, and we have to keep those firearms secure.”

Classes in the Reardan-Edwall School District were delayed two hours on Thursday and optional for all students, Superintendent Eric Sobatta said on Wednesday. Counseling was also available for students, Sobatta said.

“Our hearts are genuinely with the student’s family, and with all in the school and community we share,” Sobatta wrote in a statement. “As fellow community members, we are called now – more perhaps than ever – to come together to support the family and all the students and families in our school district.”