Teen accidentally shoots through ceiling and kills his 10-year-old cousin in bed

A teenager in Wisconsin is facing less than a decade behind bars after accidentally killing his cousin with a firearm, as ruled by a Wisconsin court.

Javier Rodriguez, 19, admitted to one count of reckless homicide in the second degree for the tragic death of 10 year old Isdennyeliz Ortiz in 2024.

On Thursday, Rodriguez was handed a 10 year prison sentence by a Milwaukee County court, with credit given for nearly 14 months spent in pretrial detention, according to Law and Crime. The report also stated that he will be under supervised release for eight years following his sentence.

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The heart breaking incident took place on May 31, 2024, in the south side of Milwaukee, where all the building's occupants were relatives, as per police reports.

Young Isdennyeliz Ortiz was in her mother's bed when she was fatally shot through the ceiling around 12:40 a. m, reports the Mirror US.

Following the incident, the girl's mother informed the police that her nephew confessed to playing with a gun which accidentally went off, as reported by WITI and WTMJ after obtaining a criminal complaint.

Rodriguez, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, reportedly fled the scene before the arrival of the police.

He was apprehended and charged a few days later, with prosecutors alleging that Rodriguez was on the top floor of the building.

Law and Crime reported that the bullet pierced through a sofa cushion before penetrating the floor and ceiling of the upper flat where the accused resided and where Isdennyeliz was sleeping alongside her mum and brother.

"She heard [Isdennyeliz] say "ouch. " She asked [Isdennyeliz] if she was alright and shook her, but she received no response, so she turned on the light. She then saw that [Isdennyeliz] had been shot in the chest and was bleeding. She saw a fresh bullet hole in the ceiling," Isdennyeliz's mother stated in the complaint, according to Law and Crime.

"It's my fault," Rodriguez allegedly told Isdennyeliz's mother. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault. I did it," Isdennyeliz's 14 year old sister allegedly heard Rodriguez declare.

Officials disclosed the defendant's grandmother's detailed account of the incident.

"She said she was sleeping in the basement unit with her husband when her grandson, the defendant, suddenly came into the room asking if they were OK. A couple minutes later her son, the defendant's father, came into the room and told her that a tragedy had occurred, explaining that the defendant had been playing with a gun when it accidentally discharged and shot."

Police identified the suspect using CCTV footage.

Moments before the shooting occurred, Rodriguez, his dad, and another person were filmed standing outdoors in a car park near an above-ground swimming pool. Police have stated that the video evidence unmistakably captures the suspect brandishing a "tan firearm" and donning "a blue rubber glove" as he seems to make his way into the premises through a back door with an accomplice.

Shortly after, around 44 seconds into the video, a "loud bang" is audible.

The report further details, "Footage from a clip starting at 12:45:08 shows the defendant, shirtless, frantically running back and forth through the rear area," It continues, "His grandfather comes into camera view and the defendant says something to him before the clips stops."