The Latest: Woman faults reckless people in grandson's death


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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The Latest on the shooting death of a 7-year-old Kentucky boy (all times local):

4:15 p.m.

A Kentucky woman says her 7-year-old grandson is dead because of "senseless recklessness" that led to stray gunfire hitting him while he played on his iPad and ate cake in his Louisville home.

Tonya Hobbs Gough says her grandson, Dequante William Lamar Hobbs Jr., was an outgoing child who loved listening music and hooking up speakers to enjoy it.

Louisville Metro Police spokeswoman Lt. Emily McKinley says it appears a fight broke out Sunday night among a group of people in a yard near the boy's home and someone pulled a gun and began firing. The coroner's office says the boy died of a gunshot wound to the head.

His grandmother says the boy's death is the result of reckless people having guns. She says that needs to stop.

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3:35 p.m.

Kentucky's governor says the death of a 7-year-old Louisville boy from stray gunfire is unacceptable, and says he'll weigh in on the issue of urban violence next week.

Republican Gov. Matt Bevin says Dequante William Lamar Hobbs Jr.'s death reflects a "cultural problem" caused by a "disregard for human life, from beginning to end."

Authorities say the boy was playing on his iPad and eating cake as a bedtime snack at his kitchen table when he was hit by a stray bullet Sunday night.

Bevin says he has a "solution" to help combat the problem that doesn't involve spending more money or putting more police officers on the streets. He didn't offer any details but says he'll make an announcement next week. Bevin says it's a problem for everyone, not just those in neighborhoods wracked by violence.

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12:59 p.m.

Police in Kentucky say a stray bullet fired during an outdoor fight traveled through the window of a nearby home, killing a 7-year-old who was eating a bedtime snack at his kitchen table.

Louisville Metro Police spokeswoman Lt. Emily McKinley says it appears a fight broke out Sunday night among a group of people in a yard near the boy's home and someone pulled a gun and began firing.

The coroner's office said in a statement Monday that Dequante William Lamar Hobbs Jr. died from a gunshot wound to the head.

McKinley urged anyone involved in the fight, including the shooter, to come forward. Police say they have no suspects.

McKinley says the boy's mother and grandmother were at the home and called 911. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

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