ELSMERE, Ky. — Elsmere police officers on Tuesday continued to canvas the neighborhood where a deadly shooting took place less than 24 hours ago, searching for the firearm used in the crime.
A 15-year-old girl is dead after she was shot Monday night, and a 15-year-old boy is now in custody facing murder and tampering with physical evidence charges.
Elsmere police said officers were dispatched to Autumn Road for a shooting Monday night around 8:46 p.m. when they found a teenage girl with gunshot wounds to her arm and chest; police said she died at the scene.
Police also said they have not found the gun used in the shooting and that the suspect told officers he ran away and "accidentally dropped the gun at an undisclosed location."
WATCH: Neighbors react to the recent fatal incident as we followed police searching for the dropped gun on Tuesday
On Tuesday, a witness who lives around the corner from the home where the shooting took place told police, "I know for a fact I seen somebody and my dog seen somebody dart across our front yard (Monday night)."
Officers are asking residents in the area to be on the lookout for the gun and, if found, call 911 immediately. They also said not to touch the gun because they think it's loaded, and they want to make sure DNA and fingerprint evidence remain intact.
Authorities did not release the name of the victim and are not releasing the name of the suspect due to his age.
"The 15-year-old (boy) — it comes to guns. How did he get that gun?" Robert Ashley, who lives across the street, said. "That's a big question in my mind. Where did a gun come from?"
Ashley watched the aftermath of the shooting play out from his front door.
"Now, what caused this shooting, or what caused the argument? I have no clue," he said. "This is normally a quiet neighborhood; you don't see anything like this really happening."
Two neighbors told us the house where the shooting took place was being rented out.
"I'll be praying for the family. Nobody should have to lose their child in that situation," said Ronnie Brewer, a nearby homeowner. "And I will be praying for the person that also shot the girl because he needs deliverance from whatever is going on in his mind."
According to police, prosecutors will decide at a later date whether or not to try the minor as an adult. We reached out to the Kenton County Prosecutor's Office as well as Elsmere Police for interviews on Tuesday. As of the publishing of this story, we have not heard back.
Watch our initial reporting on the investigation below:
