17-year-old Killed by Stray Bullet Fired Through Motel Wall

In a motel room in Lilburn, Georgia, 17-year-old Sheldon Lewis was playing video games, when a bullet from a neighboring room came through the wall and killed him. Family members were in the room and witnessed the shooting. “The gunshot didn’t even sound like a gunshot. It sounded like a pop if something fell, until we turned on the lights and saw the blood and the hole in the wall. It just has me really shaken up that my baby brother is gone. It out don’t feel normal. It’s not real. That whole moment, I was in disbelief. I honestly thought I was having a nightmare,” said one of Sheldon’s sisters.

Shermarcus Cockran, age 31, was staying in the room next to the victim. He told investigators that he was cleaning his gun after coming back from the gun range when it unintentionally fired. He has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct.

Source:

“Teen Killed After Bullet Shot Through Wall of Gwinnett County Motel, Police Say,” atlantanewsfirst.com (February 6, 2026).