On March 22, 2021, 15-year-old Dailin Wilson, a Black male, was fatally shot in a Las Vegas hotel room at the Hilton Grand Vacations on the Strip. The Wilson family had traveled from California to celebrate two birthdays. The shooting happened shortly before 11:45 a.m. in a room occupied by Dailin, his 20-year-old brother Chance Robbie Wilson, and their two younger siblings. A single 9mm Glock round struck Dailin in the head and he died at the scene; their 13-year-old sister and 8-year-old brother witnessed the shooting while eating cereal at a table in the room.

According to police reports, Chance Wilson emerged from a bedroom, yelled Boom, and pulled the trigger while holding the handgun he had assembled from parts bought online, saying he did not believe it was loaded. He initially told family members Dailin had killed himself, then later admitted to authorities the shooting was accidental. Chance was arrested and initially charged with murder; in July 2021 he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a deadly weapon. At sentencing, the boys’ mother, Glorika Briley, testified about Dailin’s achievements and dreams. Chance was sentenced to three years of probation to be served at his home in Palmdale, California.

What details about the family’s trip or the weapon could help explain how this tragedy unfolded?