A teenage boy has shot his 13-year-old elder sister dead in the southern US state of Mississippi over an argument about a video game controller.

AFP reports that the tragic incident happened on Saturday when the 9-year-old boy and his elder sister had a fight following his sister’s refusal to give him the game controller.

According to Monroe County Sheriff, Cecil Cantrell, the young boy opened fire after striking his sister in the back of the head.

Cantrell said the bullet pierced through the girl’s brain, adding that she was taken to a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, in critical condition.  She reportedly died on Sunday.

However, police had begun investigation to ascertain how the teenager had access to a gun as well as determine his knowledge of the danger of the weapon.

The debate on firearm control is still ongoing as the country records yet another avoidable tragedy.