Mother Unintentionally Killed by Son with New Gun

In Hopewell, Virginia, 46-year-old Charmel Dawn Mason was accidentally shot and killed by her oldest son, 19-year-old, Benjamin Tyler Mason. He had just bought a new gun so he could protect the family and told a neighbor that he was wiping it down and checking out its features when it unintentionally discharged. The bullet went through a wall and fatally struck his mother at the other end of the house. Benjamin has been charged with reckless handling of a firearm.

A friend set up a GoFundMe account to help with expenses. “It’s gonna be so very hard. My heart is shattered over this tragedy and I’m just trying to help.” Dawn Mason was a dialysis technician and the mother of three. Another longtime friend said, “[s]he touched a lot of people’s lives. I’ve been calling people today telling them what happened, and they are just devastated.”

Sources:

Riley Wyant, “‘It was a Freak Accident’: Hopewell Mother Unintentional Shot by Teenage Son,” nbc12.com (October 30, 2023).

Bill Atkinson, “‘Thought the Lighter Blew up’: Friend Speaks about Moments leading to Accidental Shooting Death,” progress-index.com (October 30, 2023).