Mother accused of letting sons handle gun, leading to 14-year-old’s shooting death

PHOENIX (KPHO/Gray News) - An Arizona mother is behind bars following the death of her teen son.

Officers responded to a reported shooting at a Phoenix-area Motel 6 around 10:45 p.m. Sunday, where they found 14-year-old Jeremiah Ricci lying on the ground with a gunshot wound.

Firefighters arrived and pronounced him dead at the scene.

Police said they took multiple people inside the motel room into custody.

According to officers, 40-year-old Jewell Griffen, Jeremiah’s mother, left the scene shortly after they arrived. She later returned, and police also took her into custody.

During the initial investigation, detectives reportedly learned Griffen allowed Jeremiah and his brother to handle a gun inside the room. That’s when the gun went off and Jeremiah was shot.

Griffen was arrested and is facing multiple charges, including child abuse