A 17-year-old boy remained in critical condition Saturday after being shot in the head during what investigators believe was a group FaceTime call in which a handgun was being shown off. Elsmere police charged another juvenile who knew the teen with second-degree assault in connection with the shooting, which happened along Garvey Avenue.
Officers responding to an apartment on Garvey Avenue found the teenager suffering from a single gunshot wound to the head on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, according to wcpo.com. He was taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, which listed him in critical condition, and as of the latest update, the victim remains in critical condition, per the same report.
Investigators believe the teens were showing a 9mm handgun to others during a group FaceTime call when the shooting occurred, the station reported. Officers who responded to the scene also found a handgun there, according to cincinnati.com, which separately confirmed that officers found the teen with a gunshot wound to the head after responding to the apartment along Garvey Avenue.
Juvenile Suspect Cooperating, Facing Felony Charge
Police identified the shooter as another juvenile who was acquainted with the victim and said that juvenile is cooperating with the Elsmere Police Department's investigation. The suspect was charged with assault in the second degree for wantonly causing serious physical injuries with a deadly weapon, according to the WCPO report. Under Kentucky law, assault in the second degree is classified as a Class C felony, according to the Kentucky General Assembly, Kentucky Revised Statutes.
Because the suspect is a juvenile, no further information will be released, pursuant to Kentucky law, police said. That means details such as the suspect's age and identity are not being made public as the case moves forward.
Detectives Still Trying to Identify Others on the Call
Investigators are working to identify the other people who were part of the FaceTime call when the shooting happened, the outlet reported. Police are asking anyone who has video of the shooting or who was part of that FaceTime group call to contact Detective Darrell Caldwell with the Elsmere Police Department. The investigation remains ongoing as detectives try to piece together exactly who else may have witnessed the moment the gun went off.
FOX19 also reported on the shooting, noting that the teen was shot in the head in northern Kentucky and was listed in critical condition after Elsmere police officers responded to the apartment along Garvey Avenue, according to FOX19. No additional details about how the gun was handled before the shooting, or about the identities of those involved, have been released.
