Man accidentally fires gun while supervising kids, killing teen, Virginia officials say

A Virginia man was showing a gun to a group of children when the unimaginable happened — he accidentally pulled the trigger , fatally shooting one of the kids, officials said.

Now, he’s charged.

Albert Sutton, 28, was watching children at a house in Norfolk in September 2023 while adults ran errands, the Commonwealth’s Attorney said in an Oct. 25 news release. As he was showing the children the gun, he accidentally shot it, hitting 14-year-old Amir Burnett in the chest, officials said.

Immediately after the gun went off, Sutton ran away with it, leaving the group of toddlers and teenagers alone to take care of Amir, according to the release. When Norfolk police arrived, the 14-year-old was unresponsive, and he was later pronounced dead at a hospital, officials said.

Obeying investigators’ instructions, Sutton returned to the home soon after. He admitted to bringing the gun into the home, but he blamed one of the children for firing it, according to the release.

Later, Sutton told investigators it was him who inadvertently fired the gun while trying to put it in his waistband, officials said. In August, Sutton pleaded guilty to charges of felony reckless handling of a firearm, according to records.

Sutton was sentenced to five years in prison for involuntary manslaughter and recklessly handling a firearm, the release said.

“The criminal negligence Mr. Sutton engaged in cost a child his life and a family their child, and it caused other children to see a friend die,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi said. “I hope that this sentence will offer some closure to Amir’s family.”

Amir was described as “fun loving” and “ big on love and loyalty .” According to loved ones, he played football and “loved spending time with his mom, dad and baby sister.”

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