An 11-year-old Centennial boy was taken into custody and is being held on suspicion of murder in the death of his 5-year-old brother, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

Deputies responded to a call at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 5200 block of South Jericho Street, where a 5-year-old boy had died in a residence, authorities said on X.

His 11-year-old brother is being held in the Marvin W. Foote Youth Services Center in Centennial on suspicion of first-degree murder, according to the sheriff’s office.

A first-degree murder charge alleges that a homicide was premeditated.

“Our hearts go out to the family of these two young boys and to everyone in our community who is grieving this loss,” said Sheriff Tyler Brown in a news release. “Cases involving the homicide of children are among the most difficult our deputies and investigators face.”

He added: “Our team is fully committed to a thorough investigation, and we will continue working tirelessly to determine exactly what happened.”

The sheriff’s office said new information will be shared with the public.

“Everyone involved has been identified, and there is no danger to the community,” the sheriff’s office said. “This is an open and active investigation, and updates will be shared as they become available.”

Timberline Elementary School officials said in a message to families on Wednesday that the victim was a kindergartener at the school.

Colorado law allows for children as young as 10 years old to be charged criminally. Multiple bills introduced in the state legislature have aimed to raise the minimum age for prosecution to 13 but failed to pass. 

Even if they had passed, the bills proposed in 2022 and 2023 preserved the ability for prosecutors to charge children as young as 10 with homicide.

The youngest person to be convicted of murder in Colorado was 11-year-old Anton Woode in 1893.

Woode, who was raised in Brighton, met four adult hunters looking for ducks. Woode hung around James Smith, noticing Smith’s gold pocket watch.

The boy demanded that Smith give him the watch. After Smith refused, Woode shot him in the back of the head with a musket.

Woode was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison, making him the youngest person to be incarcerated in the state.

More recently, Remi Cordova, who was 14 at the time he shot and killed 32-year-old Pamela Cabriales on Feb. 20, 2021, was sentenced to life in prison with a possibility of parole after 40 years in a Denver District Court in 2024. He had been convicted of first-degree murder.

The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said it will be handling the Centennial case but could not provide more details.

“Under Colorado law, court records for juvenile cases are not public, with limited exceptions — such as when a juvenile is charged as an adult,” a spokesperson told The Denver Gazette in an email. “In this particular case, however, the matter is being heard in Juvenile Court. As a result, the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office is legally prohibited from releasing information related to the case beyond confirming the official filing charge, which we have not yet done. We anticipate filing formal charges within the next week.” 

Sheriff Brown added, “We know tragedies like this impact not only the family, but also classmates, teachers, and neighbors throughout the community. We appreciate the support and patience of the public as our investigators work to gather the facts and pursue justice in this case.”

The Denver Gazette’s news partner 9News and Denver Gazette reporter Sage Kelley contributed to this report.