A Massachusetts teenager is in prison after allegedly killing his older brother during an argument with a gun that had an extended magazine.
Jaylen Lambert, 17, is accused of shooting his 20-year-old brother Jaleale Simmons to death. According to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, he is charged with murder, possession of a large capacity firearm, and possessing a firearm without a firearm identification card.
According to a press release from the Fall River Police Department, officers responded Saturday afternoon to a shooting at a home in the 900 block of Rodman Street. Officers arrived to find Simmons with a gunshot wound. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital, where he died.
Prosecutors claimed Lambert and Simmons had a physical altercation at home. Their mother attempted to separate them by pushing Simmons into his bedroom. Lambert allegedly left the area but returned 30 seconds to two minutes later, carrying a firearm with an extended magazine.
“The argument resumed, and the defendant shot his brother in the chest, killing him,” a prosecutor stated in a video of the hearing from Providence, Rhode Island, CBS affiliate WPRI.
Lambert shook his head as the Commonwealth presented its case. The Fall River Herald News reported that several family members and friends attended an emotional hearing. Some reportedly supported Lambert by shouting “We love you” and “It’s all right!”
According to the Herald News, Lambert attended B.M.C. Durfee High School and played basketball. Simmons also attended school.
Lambert will be tried as an adult because Massachusetts law prohibits juvenile courts from handling first- and second-degree murder cases involving defendants over the age of 16. He is currently being held in the Bristol County Jail without bond.
