Accidental death of 13-year-old leaves St. Bernard middle school devastated

MERAUX, La. (WVUE) – A family that lost their father to illness months ago is dealing with a second tragedy: A 13-year-old son accidentally takes his own life with a gun.

Principal Kara Colburn said NP Trist Middle School is mourning the loss of Wyatt Oser, an eighth-grader who loved talking about sports with his teachers.

“He was just a friendly kid,” Colburn said. “I always ask you how your day went. He wouldn’t walk past you without acknowledging you, no matter who you were. That’s part of what made him such a likeable kid.”

The sheriff of St. Bernard Parish is no stranger to such heartbreaking loss.

As a parent who has never stopped grieving the loss of his own child, Sheriff James Pohlmann said it was a massive punch in the gut.

“I visited the family today. It’s hard to see a mother grieve the way she grieves. I went through it,” Pohlmann said.

Officers responded to a home in Meraux around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday (October 6).

Pohlmann said the 13-year-old was handling a gun that accidentally discharged. He told Fox 8 the teen accidentally shot himself while he was at his house with two friends.

First responders tried to save the boy’s life before he was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.

“We all know that guns can be inherently dangerous if not properly trained and supervised,” Pohlmann said.

He said guns are not something children can play with and that firearms should be stored in a safe with a trigger lock.

“Let’s not let this happen again,” Pohlmann said. “If you’re a parent, just pay attention to what’s happening with your kids. If you are a parent and have guns in the house, lock those guns down. Don’t create an opportunity for something like this to happen.

“If you can prevent it, do everything you can to prevent it.”

Colburn said Trist Middle School will have the school district’s crisis team on campus this week.

“Today we are conducting our due diligence as a team to come up with a plan. We want to be there for them. As adolescents and teenagers, they have a hard time processing it,” Colburn said.

School leaders, as well as social workers and trauma counselors, are available to address student and guardian concerns.

“We are all very devastated for our school community. Our school family. Wyatt’s family. We know it will be difficult for everyone,” Colburn said.

Pohlmann said it was unclear whether the gun belonged in the house or was brought by someone. This is part of the active investigation. He told Fox 8 that he does not expect any charges to be filed against the teen’s family members at this time.

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