'They're too young': Community mourns loss of teen shot, killed by friend

DIGHTON, Mass. — A teen is under arrest after investigators say he shot and killed another teen in a Dighton home.

Dighton Police were called to a home on Forest Street around 6:45 p.m. Tuesday. When police got to the home, they found 17-year-old Michael Pacheco and rushed him to Morton Hospital in Taunton, where he was later pronounced dead.

Police say Pacheco lived at the home where he was fatally shot.

Police arrested 18-year-old Joseph Medeiros of Rehoboth early Wednesday morning for the fatal shooting.

Bristol County Assistant District Attorney Robert DiGiantomaso says a group of friends were at Pacheco's home Tuesday night. Three of them were reportedly sitting at the kitchen table when Medeiros began playing with an illegal firearm he brought into the house.

Pacheco's family was away on vacation at the time.

Prosecutors say the shooter had a gun he'd bought on the street that had originally been stolen.

The gun reportedly went off and struck Pacheco in the chest.

Pacheco was then rushed to the hospital, where he died 40 minutes later. Police say he had urged Medeiros to put the gun away.

Prosecutors said Medeiros fled the house before police arrived, tossing the gun into the woods where investigators spent hours searching for it.

DiGiantomaso says Pacheco had told Medeiros to put the gun away about 20 minutes before the shooting.

DiGiantomaso says Medeiros admitted he was "racking the gun and pulled the trigger at the same time."

Police say the gun has not yet been recovered.

Medeiros was arraigned Wednesday on charges of involuntary manslaughter, carrying an illegal firearm and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He was ordered held without bail and will be back in court for a dangerousness hearing on July 3.

Officials with the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District sent an email to parents Tuesday night informing them grief counselors will be available at the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School on Wednesday.

“Michael Pacheco, a student at Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School, passed away last night. He was known for always having a smile," Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School Principal, Dr. John Gould said in a statement "As a seventeen year old, he was one to always have a great sense of humor. As an individual, he would do anything for his friends. We send our condolences to his family and friends.”

Pacheco was a rising senior at Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School, where the principal said he was known for his sense of humor and his generosity.

Medeiros was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for July 3. His attorney says his client is holding up the best he can.

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