Real bullets flew during a gun sale when the buyers learned the weapon was a BB pistol. It ended with a 12-year-old dead.

A man was part of a gun sale, but the weapon turned out to be a BB pistol. That led to a dispute and shots were fired from a real gun.

The end result was a 12-year-old boy dead and a man heading to prison for more than 10 years.

This month, a judge in Kansas sentenced Darvon D. Thomas to 16 years in prison for the 2021 killing of Brain Henderson Jr., 12. Thomas was initially charged with first-degree murder but pleaded no contest to second-degree murder.

Thomas was part of a gun purchase in the parking lot of a pharmacy in Leavenworth, Kansas, according to the Associated Press. But the buyers determined the weapon was a BB gun. It was then shots came from a real gun.

Henderson was sitting in a vehicle that was hit and he died, the AP reported.

Two juveniles were also arrested along with Thomas.

Assistant County Attorney David Melton noted the 12-year-old was killed because of no fault of his own. It was all because someone else felt they were being ripped off, he said, and the Leavenworth Times reported.

“And for that, a 12-year-old young man lost his life,” Melton said, according to the Times.

The defense tried to argue Thomas only drove the car where the boy sat, but the judge said the evidence showed something else, according to the Times. Reports indicated Thomas gave the gun to someone else and told him to shoot.

“The victim’s family wants justice, and there’s only so much justice the court can give,” Judge Gerald Kuckleman said, the Times reported

Thomas spoke briefly during his sentencing and said he was taking responsibility for his actions, according to the Times. He said he was sorry for the loss the boy’s family felt.

“And may God be with you all,” Thomas said.