In another fatal gun accident involving a child in Pataskala, Ohio, a town of less than 16,000 people near Columbus (see December 14, 2019), 15-year old Noah Bigham shot and killed his best friend, Hunter Cooper, a high school freshman, while attempting to distract him from playing a video game.  Noah was using the laser sighting mechanism on a Smith & Wesson pistol by directing it at his friend’s eyes when the gun went off.

Noah was charged with reckless homicide, a third degree felony.  According to Bigham’s lawyer, “[i]t is my understanding the juveniles were able to have … unfettered access to firearms [in Bigham’s home]. This is what happens when you have firearms accessible. It’s just awful. What we know for sure is it’s unintentional.”

Source:

Michaela Summers, “Police: Pataskala Teen Shot ‘Best Friend’ While Trying to Distract Him from Video Game,” Lancaster Eagle Gazette (January 27, 2020).

Epilogue:

Ultimately, Noah Bigham admitted to a reduced charge of negligent homicide and was sentenced to probation for shooting his friend. Not surprisingly, the two families had tragically divergent views of the incident as expressed in the news article below.

Epilogue Source:

Kent Mallett, “Pataskala Teen Gets Probation in Shooting Death of Friend,” The Newark Advocate (August 21, 2020).