ST. LOUIS (AP) — Federal authorities say a man charged in an armored car theft has told investigators he fired the shot earlier this month that killed a 7-year-old boy in St. Louis.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the 23-year-old Malik Ross appeared in court Friday on several federal charges, including embezzlement. He’s accused of stealing $50,000 from an armored car company for which he worked. In court documents seeking to keep Ross jailed until trial, prosecutors say Ross told investigators he fired the shot Aug. 12 that killed 7-year-old Xavier Usanga.

The boy was standing near a teenager and two other children on a street on the city’s north side when he was shot. An 18-year-old he was with also was shot.

State prosecutors say Ross has not yet been charged in Xavier’s death, but that police are collecting evidence to that end.