Justin Butler, 14, of Culver, was fatally shot Sunday.

The man accused of shooting his 14-year-old cousin as the boy slept in a motor home had been drinking earlier and later admitted to shooting in the direction of the motor home, according to the Crook County Sheriff’s Office.

Justin Butler, of Culver, was killed early Sunday morning after shots from a rifle entered the motor home and struck him in the head. He had been elk hunting and camping with his father, older brother and family friends on the family ranch east of Terrebonne.

Brandon Hornseth, 21, was arraigned via video Tuesday afternoon and charged with manslaughter as well as reckless endangering. Investigators are still interviewing witnesses, said Rodd Clark, Crook County sheriff, so the charges could change.

After talking with Hornseth and other witnesses, investigators determined that Hornseth held a party at his residence Saturday night. He left the party and went to the motor home site, which was about two miles away as the crow flies, Clark said.

“By his own admission, he’d been drinking. Alcohol was involved,” Clark said.

Law enforcement officers found shell casings within 100 yards of the trailer.

“There was a clear vision of the motor home” from the site the casings were found, Clark said.

Clark said he doesn’t know why Hornseth fired the rifle, and investigators are still trying to make sure that no one else was at the scene with Hornseth. But Hornseth said the casings were his, the sheriff said.

“He basically admitted to shooting in the direction of the trailer. … He said he didn’t intend to hurt anybody,” Clark said.

Hornseth worked at the ranch where the shooting occurred, and one of his duties during elk season was to patrol the area and make sure that no one was hunting on the private property without permission.

On Tuesday, Hornseth was moved from the Crook County Jail to the Jefferson County Jail. Bail was set at $100,000, and Hornseth was still being held at the jail Tuesday evening.

At Culver High School on Tuesday, one of Justin Butler’s best friends passed out white ribbon bracelets with Justin’s name written on them.

“It’s just to remember him,” said Shayne Pettersen, 14, who was in Justin’s freshman class. Shayne and his mother had also decorated a T-shirt with peace signs and words like “remember,” “love” and “laugh” to memorialize Justin.

“He was short and he had a lot of energy,” Shayne said. “He was a funny little kid who was friends with everybody.”

Justin would skateboard everywhere, Shayne said, and liked listening to bands like Metallica and Three Days Grace.

He talked of becoming a professional skateboarder, said friend Ryan Fritz, 15.

“He could jump and do a bunch of tricks,” said classmate Clay Gibson, 14. He would hang out at the park with friends after school, Clay added. And he could dominate at the video game “Halo.”

Clay said some of his favorite memories of Justin were from the “Roads Scholar” trip the boys went on, a reward for being at the top of their eighth-grade class. The students and chaperones went to the Oregon Coast, Silver Falls State Park, Salem and other sites; Justin entertained them along the way.

“He made everything fun,” Clay said, laughing about pranks Justin pulled on other students — pranks that often involved hiding his small frame behind something and then jumping out.

Justin was nice to all the kids at school, his friends said, and always asking other people how they were doing.

“He could talk to everybody, (he was) the easiest guy to talk to,” Ryan said.

“If they were sad, he wanted to help them,” Clay added.

When the boys were in eighth grade, on St. Patrick’s Day they visited a kindergarten and first-grade class where the younger kids had set leprechaun traps. Justin dressed up as a leprechaun, and let his classmates tie him up, attach him to a pole and carry him into the classroom — the kids were thrilled their trap had worked.

He had a “cheesy” smile he brought out for pictures, Ryan said, grinning as wide as possible to demonstrate.

“Everyone’s going to miss Justin, and I’m pretty sure nobody will forget him and his smile,” Jared said.

Robby Wilson, who lives on Justin’s street in Culver, said his son, Tiger, would play with Justin a lot, practicing skateboarding tricks on the quiet cul-de-sac. Although Tiger is several years younger, the boys were good friends, Wilson said.

“They’d go to the football game every Friday night,” he said.

And sometimes, when Wilson’s younger son would go along to a game or the store, Justin assured his neighbor he would keep an eye on the boys and make sure they were OK.

Teachers and friends alike had many good things to say about Justin, said Stefanie Garber, interim superintendent for the Culver School District.

“He was always willing to bring light and humor to the situation,” she said.