Reports: Alabama teen shot in the head during 'prank that went terribly wrong'

An Alabama teen was shot in the head by a friend when a prank backfired, NBC station WLBT.com reported. 

Jesse Rainey, 15, and seven other teenage boys, were spending the weekend without adult supervision at a rural home in Tuscumbia, AL.com reported.

Some of the teens decided to play a prank and flipped the electrical breaker to turn out the lights, AL.com reported. Colbert County Sheriff Ronnie May told AL.com that Rainey hid in a closet inside the home as part of the prank.

When one of his friends opened the closet door, Rainey jumped out to scare him. The rattled boy fired the .38-caliber handgun, shooting Rainey in the head, according to WAAYTV.com.

"This was a close group of young men who decided to play a prank," May told AL.com. "Right now, we're looking at this as an accidental shooting." No charges were filed.

Rainey, who is a 10th-grade student at Colbert County Heights High School, is in critical condition at Children's Hospital in Birmingham.

According to AL.com, investigators said no drugs or alcohol were involved but "several long guns and handguns" were brought to the home.

“We’ve found no indication that this was planned by anyone,” May told TimesDaily.com. “We believe this was a prank that went terribly wrong. We continue to pray for Jesse and his family. We hope he is able to return to his family soon.”

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