TONTO BASIN, AZ — Two teen boys were shot in a remote area of Tonto Basin, Arizona, late Saturday night.
Gila County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded to a report of two teens who had been shot around 11 p.m. Saturday.
Deputies found two 15-year-olds each with gunshot wounds to the head. One of the boys died at the scene and the other was flown to a hospital in Phoenix. That second teen died of their injuries at the hospital.
Officials say a group of seven individuals, between the ages of 15 and 20, were there at the time of the shooting. All but one had been drinking.
It's unclear what led to the shooting, but Gila County Sheriff's officials believe one of the teens shot the other and then shot himself.
Payson Unified School District has identified the victim as Colten Boyle. The other teen has not been identified.
The shooting remains under investigation.
With story after story of teens dying too young, ABC15 wanted to see what advice there was to help students navigate their grief.
“With all the recent things going on here and Gilbert, and just the change we’ve been seeing with violence more,” said Amanda Medrano, an East Valley mom.
“I have four teenagers myself, and they all sort of process these kinds of things differently. A couple of them want to cry and want to talk about it, a couple of them are like please leave me alone, I don’t want to talk about this,” said Katey McPherson, a youth mental health advocate.
The Valley has seen a lot of tragedy involving teens lately: a stabbing death in Ahwatukee, a plane crash at Falcon Field and now a shooting in Tonto Basin involving teens.
During the holidays, loss can be especially tough. That is why it is important to talk to your kids and teens about grief and how to handle it.
Sometimes, that starts with putting your phones down.
“They absolutely have to be present. There’s so much going on in these kids’ lives that you want to know about, and that open communication is so important,” said McPherson.
“I say it a lot, they don’t like it, but I just remind them of just being out.. there’s no need to be out late at night.. groups of friends, just make sure who you’re around,” said Medrano.
And it is no secret: parenting is a lot harder in this social media age. Local nonprofits like Kid in the Corner, Community Bridges and The Hope Institute are available for families to tackle the hard issues.
Faith can also play a big role.
“We go to church, we get that, they’re instilled with that. Just being around positive influences and positive people,” said Medrano.
Watch the full story in the video player above. In the player below you can watch the extended interview with Katey McPherson, a youth mental health advocate.
