HARDEMAN COUNTY, Tenn. — A man is behind bars after he said he accidentally shot and killed a 7-year-old Tennessee boy while trying to disassemble a friend’s gun, authorities said.
7-year-old dies following accidental shooting in Hardeman County, sheriff says https://t.co/dKFDKZqCp7
— FOX13 Memphis (@FOX13Memphis) February 24, 2021
According to WHBQ-TV, Jonterrious Vernell Hampton was arrested on a reckless homicide charge in connection with the shooting, which occurred Tuesday at a Grand Junction home.
The Hardeman County Sheriff’s Office said a caller contacted dispatchers about 4 p.m. Tuesday to report that a child shooting victim was being taken to a nearby hospital in a gray Dodge Charger, WHBQ reported. Crews stopped the vehicle, provided medical assistance and rushed the boy to the hospital, where he died, according to the news outlet.
Hampton, the driver of the Charger, told authorities that he had failed to clear the chamber of his friend’s pistol while he was trying to disassemble the weapon, WHBQ reported. Hampton said he pulled the trigger and discharged the round inside the chamber, inadvertently striking the child, according to investigators.
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