Shooting on South Sycamore Street Deemed Tragic Accident that Killed Teen

ROME, GA- Northwestgeorgianews.com writes that a teenager died in an accidental shooting in Rome this week. The incident occurred when two individuals were reportedly playing with a gun in an apartment building in the late morning. A twenty-year-old man accidentally shot the victim, killing the nineteen-year-old.*

Several witnesses were at the scene, and based on their statements, it appears that the suspect was pointing the weapon at the victim, and the victim attempted to grab the gun. The suspect's hand was placed on the slide, and as he pulled the gun away from the victim, it discharged. Police stated that the incident appears to have been an accidental shooting. Investigating officers indicated that although the tragedy was apparently unintentional, the suspect was not meant to have a gun in the first place as he was a convicted felon. The man is facing numerous charges in relation to the shooting, including for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and obstruction of law enforcement. He is currently being held without bond in Floyd County. 

One gun expert spoke out following several other non-intentional shootings and stated that guns do not go off on their own. When a gun does discharge unintentionally, he stated that this is not an accident, but negligence. Guns should always be handled with care and placed in a safe when they are not being used. Experts say that some safes can be opened quickly in an emergency and that handguns may be placed in these while hunting rifles can be kept in a storage safe. 

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Sources:

https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/rome/news/police_fire/rome-police-teen-killed-in-accidental-shooting-on-south-sycamore/article_26d259ec-6c90-11ea-b7eb-736c97c12f4a.html

https://www.wdrb.com/news/police-gun-experts-stress-firearm-safety-after-children-shot-in/article_4d36a6b4-5ffd-11ea-beb0-a7bd74252c8f.html