Overview
- Lake County prosecutors charged Raymon Lamar Bell with eight felonies, including reckless homicide, multiple counts of neglect, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, and obstruction of justice.
- Investigators now say Adrian Brown found a handgun under a mattress and showed it to his 11-year-old brother, who fired the shot while believing the weapon was a fake, and a detective described the shooting as accidental.
- The prosecutor’s office said it will retract its earlier statement that Adrian discharged the gun after new interviews clarified the sequence inside the home.
- The handgun has not been recovered, and affidavits allege Bell removed it from the residence and avoided police contact before agreeing to an interview.
- Police say the children were left home without adults during a store trip, the coroner ruled the death a homicide, the siblings are now with their grandmother, and Bell’s prior violent and firearm convictions bar him from possessing guns.