Fayetteville teen playing with loaded gun charged in friend's death
FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina (WTVD) -- A Fayetteville teen is charged in the shooting death of his friend after Fayetteville police say the group was playing with a loaded gun.
Nineteen-year-old Shyheim White is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of 21-year-old Dennis Burden. Burden's father told ABC11 that he's heartbroken but is using this incident to educate young men on the dangers of guns.
Dennis Edward came home to a scene he says will haunt him for the rest of his life.
READ MORE: Man charged with involuntary manslaughter in shooting
Monday afternoon, he opened the door to his apartment to find his son shot to death. According to police, Burden and a group of friends were playing with a gun when it discharged.
Burden's dad said his next door neighbors tell a different story, though. The neighbors said they heard an argument followed by a loud bang. Meanwhile, Edward is searching for the truth. He questions why his son's friends would leave him for dead.
As distraught as he is, he's using this tragedy to warn teens about the dangers of guns.
"So that gun thing I just want to put that out there to the young people. These guns are bad business," Edward said. "You think it's protecting you but it's not. Look what happened. This young man has ruined a whole family and his life also. It's not worth it. These guns have to stop. I never thought it would come knocking at my door."
Edward plans to take his message of awareness to the teens at his family's church. White is being held at the Cumberland County Detention Facility on a $25,000 bond.
