A 16-year-old from Beltsville, Maryland, who played on his high school’s football team, was shot and killed inside his home by a man who was messing with a gun, according to police.
Derrick Palmer was a football player at John F. Kennedy High School in Wheaton. He was killed at his home on Heartwood Drive on Saturday afternoon, according to Prince George’s County Police.
Kimaury Kamara, 18, of Mt. Holly Springs, Pennsylvania, is charged with manslaughter, having a “ghost gun,” and other counts. He’s being held without bond until a June hearing.
Just before the shooting happened, Palmer and Kamara were hanging out with another person in a bedroom on the second floor of the house, according to charging documents.
Kamara told detectives he didn’t know there was a bullet in the chamber of the gun when he pointed it at Palmer and pulled the trigger, striking the teen in the head.
Three guns were found in the bedroom, including two Glocks and one “ghost gun” with a 30-round magazine and machine gun conversion switch, according to the documents.
Palmer’s father, Quentin, told NBC Washington: “He was a smart, bright kid. He loved playing football and had dreams of playing football in college. He loved to work out, play video games and enjoy his family and friends.”
Palmer’s father told the local news station he left the house 30 minutes before the shooting, and was unaware his son was around people with guns.
“He was everything to me, I just had so many hopes and dreams for him,” Quentin Palmer told NBC Washington.
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