15-year-old Darrell Hobley of Miami, Florida was arrested and charged with manslaughter for shooting and killing 17-year-old Mekhi Stevenson at a gathering of kids.  Hobley incorrectly believed that the gun was not loaded when it fired.

According to the report, Hobley had pulled the gun to show it to other kids and was waving it around.  “The victim’s brother took the firearm and after looking at it, told the defendant that the firearm was loaded and that there was a cartridge in the chamber,” the arrest report stated. “The victim’s brother also told the defendant to stop playing around with the firearm and put it away.” Hobley didn’t put the gun away, according to police, but instead pulled the slide back partially to check it and said it wasn’t loaded because it didn’t eject a cartridge.  Shortly after, the gun went off.

“Mekhi Stevenson was a good person — he was a fun person to be around,” one of his friends told a reporter. “He always had a smile on his face, he liked to dance, play around, have fun with his teammates and friends.”

“I don’t get the chance to see what his future would have been like,” said Mekhi’s mother. “He had a bright, bright future ahead of him–a real promising future and it was cut so short so soon.”

Source:

Amanda Batchelor, Annaliese Garcia, “15-year-old Arrested in Connection with Shooting Death of Miami-Dade Teen,” local10.com (November 30, 2022).