Md. Teen's Statement Tossed In Toddler's Shooting
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- A judge in Hagerstown says statements that a teenager made to police about the accidental shooting of his 2-year-old brother cannot be used as evidence against him.
Washington County Circuit Judge Donald Beachley ruled Tuesday in the case Marcus Longus.
Longus, 17, is charged as an adult with leaving a firearm accessible to a minor, lying to police and obstructing their investigation into the shooting of his brother Mario at their Hagerstown home in September.
The toddler is paralyzed from the midsection down after he allegedly found the gun under a bed and shot himself in the chest.
In the videotaped statement, Marcus Longus denied being in the bedroom, as police contend, but admitted he handled the weapon.
Prosecutors say they still have enough evidence to go to trial.
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