Teen charged in Kansas says he didn’t know gun was loaded

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A 13-year-old charged with murder in Kansas told investigators he didn’t know a gun was loaded when a 14-year-old was fatally shot.

The Kansas City Star reports court documents released recently say the teenagers stole the gun from a car and were playing with it when Zavier Mendoza was shot Aug. 8 at a townhome in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe.

Prosecutors charged the 13-year-old from suburban Roeland Park with second-degree murder. Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe declined to comment on the charging decision.

Authorities have not released the 13-year-old’s name because of his age.

He’s scheduled to go to trial Jan. 13.

___

Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com