A 17-year-old boy was charged with accidentally shooting his friend in the back with a stolen handgun, officials said.
The incident occurred at a house in the 11400 block of 60th Terrace North in unincorporated Seminole about 11:15 p.m. Saturday.
The victim, who also is 17, was taken to Bayfront Health St. Peterburg for treatment of serious but non-life threatening injuries, a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office report said.
When deputies arrived, the victim and three other boys were found at the residence. The victim told deputies he was accidentally shot by one of his friends at the house.
The 17-year-old who was arrested told deputies at the scene the shooting was a result of a home invasion robbery and they did not know who shot the victim.
Detectives interviewed the other boys who witnessed in the incident and determined the boys were smoking marijuana at the time. The suspect started playing with a handgun he had in his possession, the report said. The handgun accidentally fired and a bullet struck the victim in the back.
Detectives found the Berretta .45 caliber handgun used in the shooting. It had been hidden under a couch pillow at the house, the report said. The handgun had been reported stolen as a result of a residential burglary that occurred in Seminole in December.
No one else was charged.
