Spencer Polty, 9-Year-Old 'Student Of The Week,' Shot And Killed By Classmate In Alaska: Cops

A 9-year-old who had just been named "student of the week" was shot to death by a fellow classmate last week, according to Alaska State Police.

The boy was killed by a shot to the chest from a .17 caliber pellet rifle fired by another 9-year-old student, according to a police news release sent to The Huffington Post.

The injured boy was taken to the Pilot Station Health Clinic where he died.

The victim's mother, Joyce Polty, told the Alaska Daily News that the shooting came as a total shock.

"He wasn't causing any trouble," she said. "He wasn't teasing like he used to do. He was just jolly."

The paper reports that the cause of the argument is unknown. The two were classmates but not friends, relatives of the victim told the Daily News.

The Daily Mail reported that police believed the disagreement was over Polty winning the "student of the week" award, but state police spokesperson Megan Peters told HuffPost the department has made no such statements.

The suspect is not being identified because he is a minor.