Georgia boy, 13, shot dead inside his bedroom hours after celebrating birthday
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Police are trying to learn why a 13-year-old boy was shot to death in his bedroom in west Georgia, hours after celebrating his birthday.
Police say witnesses heard gunfire between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. Sunday. They said relatives later discovered Nizzear Rodriguez with gunshot wounds when they awoke and called 911. Police say relatives were trying to take the boy to a hospital when officers arrived, but he was already dead.
Police originally believed he was killed in a drive-by shooting, but they now believe the suspect went into the boy's room and shot him in the head while in bed, 11Alive.com reported.
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WSB-TV reports that Nizzear was an eighth-grader at Carrollton Junior High School. Police say the school planned to have grief counselors on the campus Monday morning. One police officer called Rodriguez an "outstanding kid."
Police charged a 17-year-old with murder. The teens mother convinced him to turn himself into police, 11Alive.com reported. Police are trying to determine if the killing was a result of gang activity in an apartment next door, MyFoxAtlanta.com reported.
Detectives say they are interviewing witnesses and following up on several leads on additional suspects.
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Carrollton is about 45 miles west of Atlanta.
The Associated Press contributed to this report