Washington state boy, 13, accidentally shot dead by friend

[October 16, 2017]    (Reuters) - A 13-year-old boy in Washington state accidentally shot and killed his longtime friend while both boys were at a home with no adults present, authorities said on Sunday.

A "very distraught" boy in the town of Kelso called 911 shortly before noon on Saturday from his house to report the shooting, the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office said in an online statement.

"The young boy said it was an accident and that he thought the gun was unloaded," the police statement said.

Deputies and other emergency personnel dispatched to the home were unable to save the boy and he died at the scene, police said.

The name of the boy who fired the gun has not been released, but the victim was identified by the Cowlitz County coroner as Edgar Vazquez, also age 13, authorities said.

Vazquez and the boy who discharged the weapon "had been friends for quite some time" police said, and the victim had spent Friday night at the home where the shooting occurred.

"There were no adults at the home at the time of the shooting," the police statement said.

Kelso is a town of about 13,000 people, located 125 miles south of Seattle.

Police did not indicate what type of weapon was involved or if the firearm was legally registered.

(Reporting by Keith Coffman in Denver; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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