Minn. teen shoots, injures parents after losing phone privileges

Kim Hyatt, The Minnesota Star Tribune on May 11, 2026

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A 16-year-old boy from Bemidji, Minnesota, is accused of shooting his parents and a third adult after he lost his cellphone privileges, charges say.

The teen faces four felony charges stemming from the shooting on May 7, including illegal possession of a firearm and three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. Prosecutors are asking for the teen to be tried as an adult in Beltrami County District Court.

All victims are expected to recover. The teen’s mom was discharged from a Bemidji hospital; the dad is being treated at a Fargo hospital. She declined interview requests Monday, but in a video from inside the hospital posted to Facebook, the parents extended thanks for the love and support of well-wishers.

“It’s been a rough road, but as a family we will get through this,” the dad said.

“And we still love our son,” the mom added.

The Minnesota Star Tribune does not typically identify juvenile defendants.

According to the charges:

When officers responded to the family’s apartment in the Itasca Loop neighborhood of Bemidji, three adults were lying on the ground in front of the building. The mom was bleeding profusely and said she was shot in the stomach by her son because the father suspended their son’s phone.

First responders applied tourniquets to the father and to another victim who was shot in the leg in the parking lot.

The teen fled and hid the pistol, according to authorities. Bemidji police said the hospital was put into lockdown while the victims were treated and police searched the area for the suspect.

The teenager turned himself in two hours later and told police he retaliated after his parents revoked his phone privileges. He said he found the pistol without his parents’ knowledge. Police later located it hidden under leaves near the middle school.

The teen makes an appearance in juvenile court on Thursday..