At a house party in Bedford County, Tennessee, a 19-year old man shot and killed his teenage friend, Riley Hancock, while they played with a gun. According to witnesses, the shooter thought a recently purchased pistol was unloaded and pointed it at his friend. He fired the gun, striking and killing Hancock. The 19-year old was charged with reckless homicide. 

At a memorial service for Riley, a former schoolmate reported:

Each senior was given a blue balloon to release in memory of Riley. Some of his close friends wrote messages on their balloons in hopes that they would someday reach Riley. Everyone let go of their messages and balloons at the same time as they choked back the tears as memories resonated in their heads.

Sources:

Josh Breslow, “Man charged in Shooting Death of Friend at Bedford County House Party,” WKRN.com (December 2, 2019).

Meg McKee, “Holiday Cheer and Sad Remembrance at Cascade,” Times Gazette (December 9, 2019).