7-year-old who was shot in the head at Fort Lauderdale home has died, police say
A 7-year-old boy who was shot in the head at a Fort Lauderdale home last week has died from his injuries, police confirmed Monday.
The boy was identified by family members and police as Breyson Plummer.
“Based on investigation up to this point, detectives believe three children were alone in a room inside the residence at the time the gun discharged. Foul play is not suspected. This is an ongoing investigation,” said Fort Lauderdale police spokeswoman Casey Liening.
The other two children are 5 and 11 and are believed to be cousins, according to police. The department declined to say whether Breyson shot himself or whether one of the other children pulled the trigger.
The shooting happened around 9:30 a.m. Thursday in the area of Northwest 15th Street and Second Avenue, a few blocks from North Andrews Avenue, according to Fort Lauderdale police.
A woman called 911 screaming for help, saying that someone had been shot in the head, according to a redacted 911 phone call recording released by police Monday afternoon.
Breyson was taken as a trauma alert to Broward Health, where he remained in “extremely critical condition.” He died during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, police said.
Neighbors described the home as a “problem house” and told Local 10 they had complained to police about the home for months. A call log obtained by the Miami Herald showed more than 70 police calls regarding the home since Jan. 1.
Detectives believe Breyson spent time at this home but it’s still unknown if he lived there full time.
Broward County Schools declined to say if Breyson was a student at one of its schools, citing student privacy laws.
A Florida Department of Children and Families spokeswoman did not address a Miami Herald inquiry on whether child protective officials had ever responded or investigated the home. DCF referred a Herald reporter to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, which conducts child protective investigations in Broward County. The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment but later confirmed there’s an “open report” regarding the July 2 incident.
Friends and family have scheduled a balloon release for Breyson at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale.
This story was originally published July 6, 2020 at 12:05 PM.
