AZ boy, 8, fatally shot in chest after he accidentally drove through target practice area

An eight-year-old boy was fatally shot in the chest days before Christmas, after he and his friend accidentally drove through a target practice range.

Bradley John Shockley was killed Monday after he and a friend drove into a restricted area.

Shockley was riding on his friend’s four-wheeler when they drove by the target practice area, according to KCBD.

He was stuck in the chest with a .22-caliber bullet that had been fired from a rifle, according to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.

He was taken to the Benson Hospital, where he was pronounced dead in less than an hour.

“It was a complete accident and he tragically got shot,” his mother, Ella Scofield, told the local outlet.

The devastated family remembers their little boy for his love of books and spaghetti, and fondly recalls him sitting by the Christmas presents and trying to guess what they were.

“He kept going over and looking at his presents,” Scofield tearfully told the outlet. “He’s not allowed to touch them because if he shakes them he’ll guess what they are. He is so smart. So he’d sit there and look at them and try to guess what they were.”

They had gotten him a “big box of books” because he loved to read and said the little boy didn’t even need to lift the present to know what it was.

The shooter, who knew the family, was also struggling after the loss of Shockley, according to the little boy’s family, who visited them recently.

“We let them know that we don’t have any hard feelings against them and that we love them dearly and the kids are still welcome to come over if they want,” Scofield said.

Shockley’s celebration of life will be on Dec. 29 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in St. David, AZ. His favorite meal, spaghetti, will be served.

The Sheriff’s Office is still investigating his death and will submit its findings to the county attorney.