A teenager from Fort Worth, Texas, confessed to fatally beating his 5-year-old neighbor with a bowling ball, according to a statement made public during his detention hearing.The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that the 13-year-old, whose identity is not being reported because he is a minor, admitted to hitting Sida Osman twice in the head with the heavy object. He was arrested on Thursday on a capital murder warrant.
Police discovered Sida's body in the back yard of an abandoned house Wednesday, 18 hours after he was last seen riding his bicycle. Sida went into the fenced area with the suspect, who reportedly became irritated with the little boy "and hit him multiple times in the head, causing his death," police said in a statement.
The Tarrant County medical examiner's office confirmed that Sida had suffered blunt force head injuries.
"We ask that you keep Sida's family and relatives in your thoughts and prayers as they continue to grieve over this senseless act of violence," Fort Worth Police Chief Jeffrey Halstead said.
Sida's family had moved from Somalia to escape the violence there, and the 5-year-old was born in the U.S. He was supposed to start kindergarten at nearby Pate Elementary School in the fall, the Star-Telegram reported.
The little boy will be remembered by the Somali community for his charm.
"He was a good boy and a nice boy," the victim's mother Dahabo Abdi, told the Star-Telegram. "I don't know what he did for him to be killed. All of the people loved him."
The suspect is under 14, so he cannot be tried as an adult. Riley Shaw, chief prosecutor of the Tarrant County district attorney's juvenile division, said no formal charges have been filed, and he thinks a decision will be made next week.