Stray Bullet Kills Boy Playing Video Games in His Bedroom: ‘No Child Should Die Like This’ By Bailey Richards

A high school freshman in Missouri was playing video games in the comfort of his bedroom when he was fatally struck by a stray bullet.

The victim, who police identified to local outlet KMOV as 14-year-old D’Uwan Morgan, was killed in his St. Louis home on Hobkirk Drive on the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 8. Police responded to a 911 call for a shooting around 6:10 p.m. local time and located the boy, who had been shot “at least once,” according to a news release from the St. Louis County Police Department. He died on the scene, police said.

Police stated that “the preliminary investigation indicates an unknown subject or subjects fired shots in the area, and the victim was struck.” In a statement to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for the St. Louis County Police Department said, “The investigation revealed Morgan was inside his home when he was hit by a stray bullet from outside.”

D’Uwan was sitting in his bedroom playing video games when he was shot, according to regional outlets KOLD and WCNC. The latter outlet, an NBC affiliate, reported that two bullets came through the window of his bedroom, shattering it in the process.

“He was minding his business, doing nothing. Just sitting in his room,” an unidentified family member told WCNC. “And now he’s gone.”

D’Uwan’s mom, identified in a GoFundMe as Keshia Morgan, was at home at the time of the shooting, according to WCNC. 

“Several subjects in the area were shooting at each other when Morgan was struck,” a police spokesperson told PEOPLE. KOLD reported that bullet holes were left in several homes nearby following the shooting. One neighbor, Mary Glaser, told KOLD she saw several groups of people gathered in the street and following several gunshots, people began scattering.

WCNC reported that two groups of teenagers had been arguing outside prior to the shooting. After the gunshots — at least one of which fatally struck D’Uwan — neighbors told police they witnessed teenagers running away from the area, according to the outlet.

Detectives with the St. Louis County Police Department Bureau of Crimes Against Persons are investigating the incident as a homicide, the department said. The investigation is active and ongoing. As of Oct. 13, no arrests had been made, WCNC reported.

Five months before D’Uwan’s sudden death, the quiet 14-year-old had graduated from middle school, and was excited to have recently started attending high school, according to WCNC. The teen’s family described him to the outlet as a sweet and intelligent person who loved the outdoors, especially fishing. 

In a GoFundMe created to raise funds for D’Uwan’s funeral, among other costs, the teen’s mother called him “a vibrant, caring young man with a bright future ahead of him.”

“This loss has left an indescribable void in our lives,” wrote the grieving mom.

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Morgan’s aunt, Erica Davis, told WCNC he “was a beautiful, nice kid,” and said that Keshia has been left “completely broken” by his death. “She hasn’t been eating. She hasn’t been sleeping,” Davis said of Keshia, adding, “This is a horrible nightmare.”

“My family will never be the same. We want justice for my nephew. He didn’t deserve to lose his life like this,” said Davis. “This is senseless,” she told the outlet of the teen’s death. “No child should die like this.”

Davis, like authorities, also urged anyone with information about the shooting to come forward. “You can stay anonymous,” the aunt told WCNC. “Just help us. Help us get justice for D’Uwan.”