'We Recognise This Is Heartbreaking': Police Investigate After 11-Year-Old Girl Arrested in Brother's Fatal Shooting

An 11-year-old girl was arrested after her 15-year-old brother was found dead from an apparent gunshot wound at a home in Edmond, Oklahoma, police said.

Officers responded to a reported shooting at a residence on Lapwing Road at about 4pm Wednesday, 9 September and found the boy dead inside the house, said Edmond Police Department.

Just before 1am Thursday, 10 September, investigators arrested the boy's 11-year-old sister. She was taken to a juvenile detention facility, where police said she was booked on a charge of second-degree murder.

Police have not released the children's names or additional identifying information because the case involves juveniles.

Police Provide Few Details About Shooting

Edmond police public information officer Emily Ward said investigators believed the girl was the only other person in the house at the time.

Police have not publicly described the circumstances that led to the shooting or how the boy was shot.

The children's mother was not at the scene when the shooting occurred. According to a Broadcastify recording cited by ABC News, she told investigators that her daughter had contacted her and said someone had shot her son. The recording also indicated that the boy suffered a gunshot wound to the head.

The Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office said that, because the case involves a juvenile, Oklahoma law limits the information it can publicly release. The office has not publicly detailed what further action it may take.

Neighbours Describe Shock After Shooting

Richard and Michelle New, who live in the neighbourhood, told local news outlets that their doorbell camera captured police vehicles arriving after the shooting.

Richard said he was surprised to learn which family was involved, describing the parents and children as friendly.

'It was shocking that it was them,' Richard told KOCO. 'The parents always seemed friendly; the kids seemed friendly. Didn't see the daughter much.' Michelle also described the incident as unexpected for the neighbourhood.

'It is happening in our neighbourhood. There are no words,' she said. 'Definitely the last house on the block we would have expected anything like this to happen.'

Richard said the couple later saw crime-scene tape, an officer and a crime-scene unit near the home. He also said Michelle saw what appeared to be blood in the driveway. Police have not independently confirmed that observation.

Another neighbour told local television station KWTV that the incident was particularly heartbreaking because of the children's ages.

Investigation Remains Ongoing

Police said the investigation remains ongoing and that additional arrests or charges are possible. Ward said investigators would 'look at every avenue' as they continue examining the case.

Police have not publicly disclosed what happened inside the home before the shooting, what led to the death or what evidence investigators have gathered.

The Edmond Police Department acknowledged the circumstances in a statement, saying: 'We recognise this is a heartbreaking situation for the family involved. Our thoughts are with them as they grieve this tragedy.'

For now, the publicly confirmed account remains limited. The girl was taken to a juvenile detention centre after her arrest, where she remains on the second-degree murder complaint while detectives continue gathering evidence.

Prosecutors in the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office have also stressed that state law sharply limits what can be made public because the suspect is 11.