Teen shoots self with stolen firearm

A Maricopa teen who allegedly stole guns from a family member shot himself in the leg last Wednesday with one of those same weapons.

Naterrion Pickett, 18, was spotted in the parking lot of Copper Sky Regional Park around 10:30 p.m. on April 19 by an unnamed Copper Sky employee, according to the police report. The employee called emergency services soon after realizing Pickett had been shot.

Pickett was taken to a hospital, treated for a gunshot wound to his thigh and later released.

Maricopa Police spokesperson Ricardo Alvarado said Pickett initially lied about the incident, saying it was a friend who accidently shot him, though he refused to name that friend.

Less than 24 hours after the incident, Pickett was arrested in Casa Grande in reference to another criminal case, according to the report. He was Mirandized and agreed to speak to officers about the shooting, at which point he allegedly admitted to accidently wounding himself with a .38 caliber pistol.

Pickett then admitted being party to a burglary at his uncle’s home March 27 when two firearms were taken – a 12-gauge shotgun and the .38 caliber revolver he shot himself with.

He claimed to have told a friend about the guns and their exact location in his uncle’s home. However, he did not admit to being present at the time of the burglary.

After shooting himself, Pickett claimed he threw the revolver in an undisclosed field. Police searched the location but were unable to locate the pistol.

Pickett was charged with one count of burglary and one count of theft of a firearm.

Second-degree burglary – burglary of a residence – is considered a Class 3 felony in Arizona, punishable by two-and-a-half to seven years in prison.

Theft of a firearm is a Class 6 felony, punishable by four months to two years in prison.