On the evening of Tuesday, December 21, 2021, 13-year-old Jeremiah Pruitt was found unresponsive in the front yard of a home in the 1500 block of 51st Street in Ensley, Birmingham. He was taken to Children’s of Alabama but died of his injuries. Jeremiah was a student at Bessemer City Middle School and played sports.

Birmingham Police investigators concluded the shooting was accidental. Jeremiah and his younger brothers had discovered a firearm a relative had left at the house. The gun discharged while the boys were handling it, and a bullet struck Jeremiah in the chest. Jeremiah’s mother, Starcrease Pruitt, was at work when she was notified by her own mother. One of Jeremiah’s 11-year-old twin brothers was identified as the child holding the firearm when it fired.

No charges were announced as the investigation into the accidental shooting concluded. The family was left to grieve and cope with the aftermath, including the twin who was involved in the incident.

If anyone knew Jeremiah or has information about how the firearm came to be left in the home, please share what you know.