Wednesday, January 7, 2004
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Wednesday, January 7, 2004 |
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Teen killed with ‘unloaded’ gun By JOHN MUNFORD A 16-year-old Fayette boy faces criminal charges after he accidentally shot and killed one of his close friends with a revolver at a home in the Yates Crossing subdivision Wednesday, Dec. 31, police said. The victim, a 16-year-old boy who formerly attended Sandy Creek High School, was shot in the back of the head when the gun went off, Jordan said. The shooter was unaware the weapon — a family heirloom, according to authorities — was loaded, Jordan said. The shooter is charged with involuntary manslaughter, obstruction of a police officer and reckless conduct, said Lt. Col. Bruce Jordan of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department. A 16-year-old from Henry County also is charged with tampering with evidence for trying to dispose of the gun, which was later found in a wooded area adjacent to the home, located off Eastin Road in north-central Fayette County, Jordan said. The shooter and the victim were “longtime friends,” Jordan added. The teens were not unsupervised since a grandmother was home at the time, Jordan said. The names of the victim and the suspects are being withheld because the charges are brought in Fayette County Juvenile Court, Jordan added. “The person charged (with involuntary manslaughter) was committing a reckless act with the weapon,” Jordan said. “But there was no intent to kill the victim.” Emergency-911 operators were originally told the victim had struck his head on a ceiling fan, officials confirmed. Medics discovered the victim had a gunshot wound as they began treatment.
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