A 12-year-old boy in the US has been found guilty of reckless homicide in the state of Indiana after he shot dead his younger brother aged 6. The argument is reported to have been about house chores.

According to the New York Daily, the boy told the court he shot his younger brother after they had an argument about cleaning.

The boy told the court he shot his younger brother after they had an argument about cleaning.

"I said 'clean your room,' he said 'no'," the boy testified.

The judge ruled the boy knew he should not have pulled the trigger but did not mean to kill his brother.

The judge said the child should have known the .22 calibre weapon could kill because he had experience hunting.

The 12-year-old hid the gun back in his mother's bedroom and then called police. He told the police that his younger brother had shot himself.

The boy's aunt Karri Vandagrifft said the sentencing was fair given the boy was "going to have to live with this every single day".

The boy faces detention until he is 18 but could remain under probation until he is 21.

The writer wonders how such a thing could happen between young brothers such as those in this case. Even more alarming is how easily the boy accessed the gun from his parents' bedroom, suggesting the parents did not put it in an inaccessible place. Another unwarranted waste of a young life because of precautions not taken.