Russian Boy, 7, Kills Brother, 4, With Grandfather’s Rifle

A 7-year-old Russian boy told investigators he had shot and killed his 4-year-old brother by accident with their grandfather’s rifle on Sunday, law enforcement authorities said.

The boy said he and his brother had found the gun under a bed in their grandparents’ house in the Siberian town of Bukachacha and were playing with it on the porch while the adults slept, the federal Investigative Committee said.

The boy said he accidentally pulled the trigger while trying to take the gun out of his younger brother’s hands, the committee said. Authorities earlier said they suspected someone had shot the younger boy from outside the enclosed porch.

The Investigative Committee said authorities would open a criminal case, apparently against the grandfather, on suspicion of illegal possession of an unregistered rifle.