Update:
Updated at 2:15 p.m. Sept. 6, 2024: Revised to include details later released by police.
Royse City High School student dies in accidental shooting
Police officers found the 18-year-old victim conscious when they arrived. A week after his death, police detained a teen believed to have been handling the firearm.
Royse City police have detained a juvenile in an accidental shooting that led to the death of an 18-year-old high school student.
Officers responded about 11 p.m. Friday to a 911 call about an accidental shooting at a home in the 6100 block of County Road 2597, according to a police department news release.
According to police, the young man was conscious when officers arrived, and explained that the handgun had discharged while he was handling it. The officers provided first aid until EMT and fire personnel arrived.
The victim died after being taken to a hospital, police said. He has been identified as Alexander Villegas, a student at Royse City High School.
Following an investigation, police detained a 16-year-old juvenile. The department said a search warrant and further interviews with three witnesses to the shooting revealed the juvenile was handling the firearm when it went off and struck Villegas.
