From the article:
"He retrieved his parent's .22 semi-automatic pistol, began waving it around; he informed us that he didn't believe the firearm worked properly," explained Richmond County Sheriff's Lt. Blaise Dresser. "According to witnesses, he was squeezing the trigger and at some point he had the gun pointed at Hunter ... squeezed the trigger and the gun fired."
Investigators say the 12-year-old panicked and tried to drag the body to a dumpster outside until a neighbor saw him and called 911.
"The little boy said that he was sorry he shot his best friend and didn't know what else to do, so he was dragging him to the dumpster," Jones said.
"Dragging him like he's a piece of trash to the dumpster," reiterated Hunter's aunt, Tonya.
Dresser said the 12-year-old may have thought if he got rid of the body that everything would be OK.
"We do believe this was completely an accidental shooting, it''s a tragedy, but it's an accidental shooting," he said.
The 12-year-old is at the Youth Detention Center, charged as a juvenile with pointing a weapon at another and involuntary manslaughter.
Investigators say right now the parents of the child will not be charged for leaving the loaded gun unattended. Investigators are also urging gun owners to lock up their guns in a safe or in a gun lock. They're cheap, they disable the gun and could prevent something like this from happening.
There is no Child Access Protection law in Georgia, requiring safe storage in homes with children or holding the parents responsible.
Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.
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