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SUNDAY, JANUARY 26, 2020

In another fatal gun accident involving a child in Pataskala, Ohio, a town of less than 16,000 people near Columbus (see December 14, 2019), 15-year old Noah Bigham shot and killed his best friend, Hunter Cooper, a high school freshman, while attempting to distract him from playing a video game. Noah was using the laser sighting mechanism on a Smith & Wesson pistol by directing it at his friend’s eyes when the gun went off.

Noah was charged with reckless homicide, a third degree felony. According to Bigham’s lawyer, "[i]t is my understanding the juveniles were able to have … unfettered access to firearms [in Bigham’s home]. This is what happens when you have firearms accessible. It's just awful. What we know for sure is it's unintentional."

Source:

Michaela Summers, “Police: Pataskala Teen Shot 'Best Friend' While Trying to Distract Him from Video Game,” Lancaster Eagle Gazette (January 27, 2020).