It was a tragic accident.  That's what Jefferson County Sheriff investigators are saying about the death of an 11-year old boy.  Joshua Nimm was found dead in his home near Johnson Creek with a .22 caliber rifle nearby. 

Detective Sergeant Lawrence Lee says Nimm had skipped school and stayed home to play the video game HALO.  "He probably got involved in the game. He got the rifle out, which was his rifle.  He's had it for over a year.  He was, I believe, playing with it or doing something with it and the rifle was not unloaded."

Lee says even though the magazine was removed, there was a round in the chamber and somehow it went off hitting the boy in the head "I believe what happened is what happened is the last time the rifle was used, the magazine was taken out of the stock but a round was not ejected from the chamber.  So there was actually a round in the chamber and they round went off and stuck the child in the head and killed him".  Lee says Joshua's parents had given the boy the rifle last year "they lived out in the country, so he was familiar with that end of it".

Nimm's father, who believed his son was at school, found the boy dead inside the home, with the television still on.  According to Lee, ""he was supposed to go to school that morning.  The parents had him ready to go to school.  For whatever reason, he decided to stay home and play his video games.  He made up his mind, evidently, that he was going to play hooky that day".  Nimm even waved his bus driver off when the bus arrived to pick him up. 

Lee says after talking with his friends and family there's no indication Nimm was suicidal.  The department considers the investigation closed and has no plans to file charges against the parents.  Grief counselors are on hand at Johnson Creek Elementary School to help Joshua's classmates deal with the tragedy.