17-Year-Old Killed In Bizarre Accident In LaGrange

LAGRANGE, Ga. -- Authorities in west Georgia say a teen died in bizarre mishap when a gun hanging on a wall accidentally fired.

Troup County Sheriff Donny Turner said 17-year-old Natorrin Brown of LaGrange was fatally wounded shortly before midnight Tuesday.

Turner said Brown was among a group of people visiting the home of Joseph Keeth, who was showing some of the visitors a gun hanging in his attic.

When Keeth, 27, was showing how the stock of a loaded AK-47 would go in and out a few inches, and "he disturbed the position of the gun," Turner said. "When it went back into position, the trigger hit the nail and the gun went off," hitting Brown, who was standing in the doorway.

The gun fell to the floor, but gunpowder residue indicated it had fired while it was on the wall, Turner said.

To test the accident theory, sheriff's Chief Investigator Charles Nixon unloaded the gun, cocked it and put it back on the wall. He bumped it with his hand and the trigger activated when it slid back into place.

Nixon said he used a string to determine that the gun barrel would have been pointing where the victim stood.

Nixon said he is conferring with the district attorney's office about the possibility of presenting charges to a grand jury.

Ledger-Enquirer.com