CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — The father of a murder suspect believes his son in innocent.
"I wanted to know if he did it and if he was involved," Walter Sadler said.
Sadler had plenty of questions for his son, Byron, on Monday.
The 16-year-old is charged with murder, after police said he and two others were in a University-area shed, and a gun went off. Jamall Pinkney, 18, was shot and killed.
"'Byron, did you have anything to do with it? Did you kill that young man?' That's precisely what I said," Sadler said. "And he broke down in tears, and that's when he said 'no'."
Sadler said his son told him "horsing around" led to the shooting, and that he never had the gun in his hands.
At first, police believed they were dealing with an accidental shooting. But not long after, Byron and the other teen were taken to police headquarters and Byron was charged with murder.
Police aren't saying what led to the charge, or the shooting, but do say all three teens were friends.
Walter Sadler said he felt "helpless," even shedding tears as his son sat in jail.
"Being in the wrong place at the wrong time, yes he's guilty of that," Sadler said of his son. "But killing somebody, no."
Byron Sadler is due in court on Tuesday.