11-year-old shoots grandmother, kills self after refusing to clean his room, police say

PHOENIX — An 11-year-old boy in Arizona fatally shot his grandmother before turning the gun on himself after refusing to clean his room Saturday, officials said.


Yvonne Woodard, 65, and her husband lived with their grandson in a home in the Phoenix suburb of Litchfield Park, according to Maricopa County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez.

The grandfather told detectives they had asked their grandson to clean his room, but he was being stubborn about it.

The couple were sitting on the couch watching TV together when the grandson came up behind his grandmother and shot her in the back of the head, Enriquez said.

The grandfather first ran after the grandson before returning to help his wife. He then heard gunshots as his grandson shot himself.

Enriquez said the gun belonged to the grandfather. Investigators have yet to find anything that would indicate the grandson wanted to hurt himself or others before the shooting. 

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