Teen in Texas faces charges for accidentally causing death by shooting

Image of Rhyder Tettleton in court against image of barn where shooting took place

Background: The barn where Rhyder Tettleton allegedly shot his brother (KHOU). Inset: Rhyder Tettleton at his court appearance (KHOU).

A teenager from Texas faced charges of manslaughter after his brother was fatally shot. According to court records, he allegedly requested assistance from his friends to conceal the purported crime.

Rhyder Tettleton, 17, appeared in court on Nov. 27 where he stood charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of his 16-year-old brother. KTRK, a local CBS affiliate, reported that authorities initially accepted a murder charge, then downgraded the charge due to Tettleton’s reckless behavior as opposed to intent. He now faces a sentence of two to 20 years in prison.

Tettleton was being held in the Harris County Jail on $50,000 bond.

Details of what happened in the barn in Tomball, which is about 40 miles from Houston, in the early morning hours of Nov. 26 were revealed in court during Tettleton’s appearance. According to court records, there were six teenage boys in the barn at the time, all of whom were drinking alcohol. The parents of Rhyder Tettleton and his late brother were at a nearby hospital where their mother was preparing to have back surgery. Records said that the six boys were handling a 9 mm handgun.

Court records also stated that when Tettleton got his hands on the gun, he apparently believed that it was not loaded and “thought he was just dry-firing it” when he aimed it at his brother.

But the gun was loaded, and the younger boy was hit in the abdomen. One of the witnesses at the scene said that after he was shot, the younger brother said, “I think I’m gonna die. Help me. Help me.”

KHOU, a local CBS affiliate, reported that the four other boys called police right away and attempted to save the victim’s life. He died at the scene.

Also revealed during Tettleton’s court appearance was his alleged attempt to cover up what happened, reportedly asking the other people in the barn to say that one of them was responsible for the shooting. He also apparently asked them to hide the gun.

When authorities questioned Tettleton with his attorney present, he reportedly eventually admitted to firing the gun himself after initially saying he couldn’t remember what happened. He told police that it wasn’t his intention to hurt his brother.

Tettleton was held on $50,000 bond and ordered not to speak to the other four boys who were at the scene.