By Robert J. Hansen, Observer Staff Writer
A 10-year-old Black child was shot and killed by another 10-year-old in Foothill Farms on Saturday afternoon, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies arrived on scene and found an unresponsive juvenile bleeding from his head and neck in the middle of a parking lot.
The slain child has been identified as Keith Frierson.
An adult and two juveniles were detained. The adult was identified as 53-year-old Arkete Davis. Deputies said one of the juveniles detained was Davis’ 10-year-old son.
According to the sheriff’s office, the child had gone to his father’s vehicle to get him cigarettes, then took a firearm from inside the vehicle and bragged that his father had a gun. He then allegedly shot the victim once and ran into a nearby apartment.
Detectives located a firearm in a nearby trash can where Davis is believed to have tried to dispose of it. Detectives confirmed that Davis was legally prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm. The recovered firearm was reported stolen in 2017.
Brittani Frierson, Keith’s mother, said her son was outside riding his bike and playing with friends.
“Keith won a bike race between the kids and celebrated,” Frierson said. “This angered one of the other children.”
She said that child, unknowingly to the other kids and Keith, got a gun from his father’s car, waved it at the group of kids and purposely pointed the gun at Keith, ultimately shooting and killing him.
“The father at that moment, the only adult outside not far from the children, chose not to aid Keith but instead grabbed the gun and hid it in a trash can and yelled for his two kids to run home,” Frierson said.
Frierson heard the child who is alleged to have shot her son say, “Who won now?” referring to the bike race.
Sheriff Jim Cooper said the homicide was tragic and completely avoidable.
“As more details of the incident come to light, there is definitely a concern about irresponsible parenting and that an ex-felon was illegally in possession of a firearm that led to this young boy’s murder,” Cooper said on Instagram. “Not to be missed, all this happened in front of another 6-year-old child who saw the whole thing.”
Felons who are prohibited from having guns are a priority and primary concern for Cooper’s office.
“They continue to illegally possess them and it is not uncommon to find stolen guns or ghost guns at violent crime scenes,” Cooper said. “We cannot let this boy’s murder be a one-day news story and forgotten about by tomorrow morning. The issue of illegally possessing guns by those who should not have them and using them to commit violent crimes is a real one.”
The juvenile believed to have shot the victim was arrested and transported to the Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility, where he was charged with murder.
Davis was arrested and transported to the Sacramento County Main Jail, where he was charged with several firearm-related felonies and child endangerment. He is being held on $500,000 bail and was scheduled to appear in court today, Jan. 3.