Two young people, a ten-year old boy and an 18-year old girl, died in gun accidents today.

The ten year-old, Charlie Patton, of Milledgeville, Georgia, died of a pellet gun wound after being accidentally shot by 17-year old Jamarius Walls, a friend of his family,.  “All the evidence and witness statements we have from the scene led us to believe that this is not intentional,” a Sheriff’s Office spokesman said.  “We feel for all parties involved. Obviously, we lost a 10-year-old in our community. The school and classmates and family members are affected by this. We’re all affected by this. Me as a father is affected by this, you know? I’m affected by this,” he added.

In Peru, Indiana, 18-year old Hanna Cox was shot and killed when her boyfriend was showing her his gun while they were sitting in a car.  The girl was speaking on Facetime with her mother just before the accident occurred.   The boy, Jeremiah Smith, apparently thought the gun was unloaded.

“This is another example of the many we have throughout our nation of someone believing a gun was empty pointing it another way and now he’s lost another life unnecessarily,” a local police sergeant said.

Hanna was a high school senior.  Her mother described her a “free spirit.”

Sources:

Kamilah Williams, “’A Tragedy for All Involved’: Baldwin County 10-year-old Dies from Pellet Gunshot,” 11 Alive (February 25, 2022).

Max. Lewis, Matt Christy, Izzy Karpinski, “Deadly Shooting of Maconaquah HS Student Believed to Be Accidental by Girl’s Mother, ISP,”  fox59.com (February 25, 2022).