Update: 8-Year-Old Shot by 7-Year-Old Cousin

Early reports said that 8-year-old Liquarry Jefferson* was shot and killed by a group of armed men who burst into his family's home.

The police smelled something fishy, and the truth came out. Liquarry was shot by his 7-year-old cousin. Apparently the family tried to protect the boy. Perhaps they didn't know that the cousin is too young to be charged for the crime. He and his mother are now talking to police.

There's no word on what the children were doing playing with the guns. The gun was illegal and shouldn't have been in the home in the first place, a fact Commish Ed Davis made abundantly clear.

We're relieved that the police found and released the truth quickly because rumors of armed men bursting into the home could have sparked needless retaliation. Michele McPhee at the Herald is already calling for the city to "lock up the liars," but let's just let the police get to the bottom of it first.

Now the city has to figure out what went wrong and how to prevent it. The Department of Social Services was already involved with the family. Liquarrie's dad is/was a Castlegate gang member.

But it doesn't really matter what his parents were up to. Guns wind up in homes of all socioeconomic backgrounds, and little kids eventually find them and start playing. WHDH quoted a Jefferson family friend as saying "Guns and babies do not mix."

So, the next question for the governor, the mayor, the city council, and the commish is how are you going to crack down on illegal guns? And do you have any ideas?

*Original reports spelled it "LaQuarrie" - we hope we have it right now. If you know, please tell us because we would like to have it right.

School photo of Liquarry Jefferson.