Updated at 3:25 p.m. June 30, 2014
A 12-year-old Boy Scout shot himself to death Monday morning on Fiesta Island in Mission Bay in an apparent suicide, authorities said, correcting several earlier reports, including the boy’s age.
The boy, a Las Vegas resident, died at the scene. His name was withheld pending family notification.
The boy had traveled to San Diego over the weekend along with his scout troop for a weeklong camping trip at Mission Bay, according to police.
Police and paramedics were called to the 1000 block of Fiesta Island Road near East Mission Bay Drive shortly after 7:30 a.m. on a report the boy had shot himself, according to San Diego police and fire officials.
San Diego police Officer Matt Tortorella said the gun was recovered in a tent a short time later.
The boy at first was described as an 11-year-old. He also didn’t go to a hospital as originally reported.
“Despite earlier reports that the child was taken to a nearby hospital, a spokesperson for San Diego Fire Rescue said the child was pronounced dead at the camp,” NBC San Diego said.
U-T San Diego quoted a parent volunteer at the Scout camp as saying he heard what sounded like gunshots “but didn’t think anything of it.”
“It’s absolutely tragic,” said the parent, Kevin Brennan, 54. “Occasionally, there are accidents during Boy Scout activities, but I’ve never seen an accident like this.”
Camp Fiesta Island is an aquatic center set amid camp sandy dunes, which the local Boy Scouts chapter calls “the ultimate waterfront experience.”
“Scouts can kayak the bay, test their skills in the famous Flying Hull and Nautical Survival programs, or spend the day learning to surf,” the Scouts site says. “Meals are prepared by one of San Diego’s finest caterers.”
— City News Service contributed to this report.
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