Branden Patten
Age 9
Arboles, Colorado
Only two brothers came back home
Outside his third-grade classroom at Pagosa Springs Elementary School, adventure was around the corner. With six siblings, he always had someone with whom to explore their hometown of Arboles, Colorado, which is near Navajo State Park and borders New Mexico.
On a Friday afternoon, one of his older siblings was on babysitting duty and sent him and two of their brothers, ages 7 and 10, to play outside. The three went to an unoccupied house nearby, and broke into a locked cabinet. Inside were two firearms. One was loaded.
Branden Patten, 9, died in an accidental shooting on March 2, 2018, in Arboles, Colorado.
