A 12-year-old Alabama boy admitted to accidentally shooting and killing his mother, according to a news release published by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on Monday (Aug. 8). Twenty-nine-year-old Ayobiyi Cook was gunned down in her home on Freemont Avenue in Forestdale on Aug. 6. Detectives believe the victim’s son “unintentionally discharged,” leading to his mother’s death.

The child, who has not been identified, initially “fabricated a story” regarding the shooting but eventually “gave a true account” of what happened, per the JCSO. The department said, “This offense is a tragedy for the Cook family and the entire community.” The original news release published on Saturday stated, “A man was seen fleeing from the residence shortly before the 911 call was made.” However, officials said, “There appeared to be no forced entry into the home.” Detectives eventually determined the child’s story was impossible, and he ultimately came clean about pulling the trigger. The JSCO says the evidence at the scene proves the gunfire was “unintentional.”

The department is leaving the case in the hands of Alabama’s Family Court system. The child who fired the gun will remain with his family, who “has been cooperative throughout the process.” Cook was married to a Birmingham police officer who reportedly was at work when the shooting occurred overnight. Her funeral service is taking place on Friday, Aug. 12, according to the Faith Memorial Chapel Funeral Services official website.

Everytown for Gun Safety reported a total of 169 accidental shootings by children in the United States in 2022. Out of this number, data shows 104 people were injured and 74 people were killed. In June, a mother was arrested and charged with manslaughter by culpable negligence after her two-year-old son found a firearm and killed his father. Reggie Mabry was shot in the back inside the home on Tobie Court where he and his wife, Marie Ayala, rented a bedroom with their three children, aged five, two, and five months.