Gun prank turns fatal for teenage boy in Caloocan

MANILA, Philippines—What allegedly started out as a joke ended in tragedy when a teenage boy accidentally shot dead his younger companion with an improvised gun in Caloocan City on Thursday night.

The Caloocan police withheld the identities of the victims, aged 15, and the suspect, aged 17, because they were minors.

Police said the incident happened at around 7:30 p.m. Thursday near a creek in Bagong Silang.

Investigation showed that the victim and suspect, together with other friends, were standing near the creek when the suspect brought out an improvised handgun.

The suspect was pointing the gun at the victim in jest when one of their friends suddenly grabbed the suspect from behind.

The action purportedly caused the gun to go off, hitting the victim on the left part of the head.

The victim was already dead when the police responded to the incident a few minutes later.

The police have yet to arrest the suspect.