In Buna, Texas, “a tragic end to Christmas left the town shaken.”   15-year old James Johnson was shot and killed when a 9 mm pistol was accidentally fired by his 10-year old brother.  A cousin, 19, had brought the gun to Johnson’s home and the teens were passing it around, believing it to be unloaded.

Johnson was described as “a very faithful, fun guy, quiet, with a pretty smile,” by Pastor Robbie Rich of Buna First Assembly of God.  “You know, when Jesus died and went back to heaven he sent the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is tender and loving, and so I just pray that everyone feels the Holy Spirit around them,” he added.

 He also recognized, with respect to the 10-year old who fired the gun, “[y]ou have to understand that he’s got to live through that, surely he’s going to be traumatized.”

A Sheriff’s deputy pointed out that this isn’t the first tragic gun accident involving death of a child in Jasper County, Texas.  “If you educate your kids not to play with firearms, to only handle firearms in a proper manner, then our numbers are going to go down and people will be safer,” he said. 

But it is unclear why the teens didn’t understand that the gun was loaded.

Source:

Parris Kane, “Buna Teen Killed in Accidental Shooting Identified, Church Launches GoFundMe for Medical, Funeral Expenses” 12 News ABC (December 27, 2019).