15-year-old girl shot, killed inside home on W. Orchard St.

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee police say a 15-year-old girl died after being shot early Tuesday morning, January 8th on the city's south side. The family identifies the victim as Brendaliz Morales Rodriguez.

Authorities say the incident occurred in a residence on W. Orchard Street near Cesar Chavez Drive around 4 a.m.

Police say an 18-year-old male has been taken into custody following the shooting. Family members say that suspect is Brendaliz' brother -- and that he accidentally shot Brendaliz.

"They say he dropped the gun on the floor and he shot her," said Romulo Santos.

Milwaukee police say they're investigating the circumstances that led to the shooting.

A spokesperson for Milwaukee Public Schools issued a statement saying the district is deeply saddened to learn of Morales Rodriguez's death. It says, "the thoughts of the MPS family are with her family and friends. Today, we made our students aware of the availability of crisis team counselors and some students did make use of those services."

Family members say Morales Rodriguez was a freshman at South Division High School. The family said her brother is extremely distraught over the incident.

"I don’t even know what got into him, you know. So I just trying to see what’s going on because he wasn’t even like that," said Santos.

Family members tell FOX6 News Morales Rodriguez's mother was too upset to talk on Tuesday. The family would like Brendaliz buried in Puerto Rico, which is where most of the family is right now. The family is not sure how it will pay for the funeral.

Monitor FOX6 News and FOX6Now.com for updates on this developing story.