A 19-year-old man has been arrested and charged with manslaughter following a fatal shooting that left a 16-year-old boy dead inside a Huntsville home, according to police.
Huntsville Police said officers responded to the 4900 block of Lumary Drive around 2:35 a.m. on Tuesday after receiving reports of a shooting in progress. When officers arrived, they found a 16-year-old male suffering from a gunshot wound inside the residence.
Emergency personnel immediately performed life-saving measures on the teen, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators with the Huntsville Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit determined that the victim and the suspect, later identified as 19-year-old Santravious Shermaud Westry of Huntsville, were cousins.
According to police, Westry was inside the home with the victim and retrieved a firearm with the intent to show it. Authorities said the weapon discharged while he was handling it, striking the 16-year-old.
Two other individuals who were present in the home at the time of the incident were detained as part of the initial investigation.
Westry was arrested and booked into the Madison County Jail on a charge of manslaughter as the investigation remains ongoing.
