11-Year-Old Boy Kills His 8-Year-Old Neighbor Over Her New Puppies

An 11-year-old boy in Tennessee shot and killed his next door neighbor, an 8-year-old girl, over an argument about a puppy Saturday, police said.

The young killer used his father's 12-gauge shotgun and fired at Maykayla Dyer from inside his home around 7:30 p.m., WBIR reported.

She was hit in the chest and died in hospital.

Neighbours said the shooting was sparked by the girl innocently declining to let the boy play with her dog.

“Wanting to see a puppy, the little girl laughed and told him no...and that was it,” neighbor Chasity Arwood told WBIR.

Jefferson County Sheriff G.W. (Bud) McCoig told the Daily News:

"This one has really taken a toll," he said. "It's just an awful thing."

The boy, who has not been identified, was charged with first-degree murder in juvenile court,

He remains in custody, and a judge will decided whether to send the case to adult court.

The boy's father had legally obtained the weapon and has not been charged.

The father told police he had taken the boy out hunting several times, McCoig said.

The young gunman is one of six siblings, who range in age from 8 to 12. The family has not had any "major issues" with the law, McCoig said.

The girl's mother said it's not the first time her daughter had trouble with the boy.

“When we first moved to White Pine, the little boy was bullying Maykayla,” she said.

“He was making fun of her, calling her names, just being mean to her. I had to go the principal about him and he quit for a while, and then all of a sudden yesterday he shot her.”