23-05-2025
Racine teen charged with fatally shooting brother, 11; family claims it was accident
Criminal charges have been filed against a Racine teenager in the shooting death last week of his 11-year-old brother.
Racine County prosecutors on May 21 charged Pedro Sauceda, 16, with first-degree reckless homicide in Jesus Valladares' May 16 killing.
He claimed in a criminal complaint he was playing around with the firearm, and that he didn't know it was loaded until it discharged.
More: UW-Platteville students died in shootings, one self-inflicted, officials say
The complaint says officers were called to a home on the 2600 block of Prospect Street on a report that a juvenile had been shot. Officers arrived and found Sauceda at the scene, kneeling and asking them to kill him, the document said.
Sauceda was subdued as he stood up and walked toward the officers.
Sauceda's sister told investigators she loaded the gun with one bullet. Her plan was to fire it while visiting a cemetery to honor a deceased relative's birthday, the document says.
More: 3 teenagers among 7 people injured in separate Milwaukee shootings over the weekend
The sister never fired the weapon and it was still loaded when the family returned home.
Witnesses in the home told investigators Sauceda and Jesus were "play fighting" with the gun, according the complaint. They had done that on previous times, but the gun was normally not loaded.
Sauceda told investigators he was playing with the gun in the house and that it went off when Jesus tried to take it from him.
More: Milwaukee teen accidentally shoots, kills mother while trying to stop stepdad's assault on her
Authorities noted in the report the child's gunshot wound had a dark, black circle around it, indicating the weapon was pressed closely against the victim as it was fired.
Sauceda is expected to be in court May 28 for a preliminary hearing.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Racine teen charged with shooting brother, 11, claims it was accident
