Boy killed himself after accidentally shooting his best friend, inquest hears
'We all died that day', his aunt told the court.
A boy found dead by a canal in Birmingham shot himself after accidentally killing his friend, an inquest has heard.
Jaydon Beckford, 17, was found dead on a patch of wasteland by a canal five days after his friend Diego Henry, 16, died in hospital.
It is believed Jaydon took his own life after accidentally shooting Diego five days prior in the flat he shared with his mother.
Coroner James Bennett told an inquest yesterday, Thursday, June 27, that a gun was discharged ‘most likely inadvertently’ and the 16-year-old was shot in the head.
Jaydon then went missing until his body was found with a ‘self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head’ by a canal sometime between November 5 and 10, last year.
During the inquest on Thursday, Jaydon’s aunt Nadine Beckford told Birmingham Coroner’s Court that her nephew was ‘an amazing person’.
‘We all died that day,’ she told the court.
Ms Beckford also criticised police’s conduct during the search for Jaydon, claiming the police ‘had been more interested in finding a weapon than Jaydon himself’
‘That’s what hurts,’ she added.
Diego and Jaydon were said to be good friends and there was no animosity between them.
On the night of the shooting the pair had been hanging out at Jaydon’s home along with another mutual friend.
Jaydon’s mother Leah Hussain said she heard laughing and chatting before she fell asleep, but was awoken later that night by a loud bang.
She initially thought the noise was a neighbour setting off a firework, until she heard the other friend shout ‘phone an ambulance’.
The inquest heard Jaydon was later spotted on CCTV, running down the street with his hand in his pocket.
He was then found dead by the canal on November 10. While it cannot be confirmed, it is believed the same gun was used.
The third friend, who was not named, later told police that Diego’s shooting was ‘an accident.’ He said he was ‘not in custody, control or possession of the firearm’, and has not been charged with either boy’s death.
The inquest heard how the gun may have been given to Jaydon by ‘elders’ for protection.
During Diego’s inquest on Tuesday, Mr Bennett said: ‘It does seem to me that on the balance of probabilities, the evidence supports the gun going off inadvertently and it was not malicious.
‘There is a degree of uncertainty about what exactly happened, so I think it is best if I simply return a conclusion that Diego’s death was the consequence of a single gunshot wound to the head.’
Speaking after the case, a West Midlands Police spokesperson said: ‘We were greatly concerned about Jaydon’s safety after the tragic death of Diego, and we made every effort to try to find him and ensure his welfare.
‘This was a tragic incident resulting in the loss of two young lives, and our thoughts remain with the families and friends of both boys.’
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