LANCASTER : Girl, 15, Arrested in Fatal Shooting

A 15-year-old Lancaster girl has been arrested in the death of a 17-year-old companion, whose fatal gunshot wound to the face was originally believed to have been self-inflicted, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies said Friday.

The girl, whose name was withheld because of her age, was arrested Thursday and was being held at Central Juvenile Hall. She was taken into custody after extensive questioning about the death of Glen H. Cook of Palmdale, who was killed Monday, authorities said.

Detectives investigating the case could not be reached for comment Friday. A relative of the girl, who refused to give her name, said the shooting was accidental and occurred during horseplay involving a pistol.

“She’s never done anything like that before, or anything at all,” the relative said.

The shooting occurred at the girl’s home in the 700 block of East Avenue G in Lancaster, where her brother and sister-in-law had been watching her while her parents were out of town, the relative said. Cook was the brother of the girl’s sister-in-law, the relative said, adding that the two teen-agers often “played like brother and sister.”