A 16-year-old boy was fatally shot in the head as he and his pal played with a gun inside a Bronx home early Monday, sources and his family said.

John Nunez was found around 5:10 a.m. with a mortal gunshot wound to the head when police responded to the multi-family house on Prospect Avenue near East 169th Street in Morrisania, authorities said.

John Nunez is pictured celebrating his birthday on Nov. 26, 2026.

John Nunez, 16, was fatally shot in the head around 5:10 a.m. Monday inside a home on Prospect Avenue near East 169th Street in Morrisania, cops said.

Nunez, who lived just blocks away from the home, was pronounced dead at the scene by responding EMS workers, police said.

The pair are believed to have been fooling around with the lethal weapon when it fired, according to law enforcement sources.

The teen and a friend had been playing around with a gun when it went off, sources said.

Tearful family and friends gathered at the scene of the deadly shooting.

Nunez’s friend was taken into custody and charges were not immediately filed, the sources said.

It was not immediately clear how the friends got a hold of the weapon.

Women were seen sobbing and embracing at the scene of the deadly shooting as the tragic teen’s body was carried away.

His family is “devastated” by the loss, his sister Sol Nunez told The Post Monday evening.

“They’re devastated. Their heart is broken. Their heart is shattered. This is unbelievable to us,” Nunez, 18, said.

John’s friend and their family is also reeling from the aftermath of the shooting, according to the sibling.

“Their family is very devastated. I mean, it happened in their house, so you can imagine how that is,” Sol said.

The sibling said that the gun that killed her brother was most likely not John’s friend’s.

And it was probably not John’s own, as his mother was “on top of him most of the time,” she said.

“He was at his best friend’s house. So I don’t think anything was intentionally towards him, because John was really loved,” Sol said.

John was described by his sibling as a “really happy person,” according to his sibling.

“Every time he would come in the house it was just like, oh, the joy came back,” Sol said.

Her younger brother was also incredibly caring of his older sister, despite his youth, she said.

“He was always making sure that I was OK He was there for me, and it’s really heartbreaking that I won’t have that anymore,” Sol said.

The rising senior at nearby Metropolitan High School loved to play baseball and video games, she said.

Sol said that the two had plans to enlist in the military together, following in the footsteps of their uncles serving in the Marines.

“[H]e wanted to go into the Army too. He liked the action and the benefits of the military,” Sol said.

The sibling begged other youngsters to think twice before fooling around with guns, saying she didn’t want what happened to John to happen to anyone else.

“Please stop the gun violence,” she said. “Please stop hanging out with the wrong crowds.”

Source: https://nypost.com/2026/08/10/us-news/boy-16-shot-dead-as-he-and-pal-play-with-gun-inside-nyc-home-sources/