A 17-year-old Beloit boy who reportedly accidentally shot and killed his best friend Tuesday morning was charged Wednesday with homicide by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon.
Nikolai Wasilewski was released on a $10,000 signature bond.
Marcus James Seichter, 17, also of Beloit, died at Beloit Memorial Hospital.
Police responded at 8:39 a.m. Tuesday to a home at 212 Eighth St. and found Wasilewski standing outside a basement bedroom, covered in blood, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in Rock County Circuit Court. Wasilewski’s mother, Nancy Buchs, who had called police, was trying to help Seichter, who had been shot in the head.
A handgun, a .357 revolver containing one spent cartridge and two live rounds, was found on the bed, according to the complaint.
“He was just standing there, I was playing with the gun and it went off,” Wasilewski told police at the scene, according to the complaint. He said the gun belonged to Seichter.
Buchs told police the two teenagers had been best friends since they were 4 years old.
“They were like brothers,” she told police.
She said she was watching television at 8:30 a.m. when she heard a loud bang, followed by Wasilewski yelling at her to call 911 because “Marcus had been shot.”
She followed a dispatcher’s directions to perform CPR on the victim, but when police took over there was no pulse, according to the complaint.
Wasilewski was ordered to have no contact with Seichter’s family. An initial appearance was set for Jan. 6.
