Teen fatally shot while in backyard with friends
A teenage girl has died after being shot while socialising with a group who were believed to have been practising target shooting in a friend's backyard.
Candace Chrzan was fatally shot on March 30 in Mount Zion, in the US state of Georgia, in an incident police were treating as accidental, according to Fox News.
The 17-year-old's .22 pistol jammed and she gave it to a friend, 17-year-old Jeremy Gray, who allegedly struck Candace in the head as he was trying to fix it, police spokeswoman Ashley Hulsey said in a press conference Friday (local time).
Ms Hulsey told reporters the gun, which was being used to shoot at plastic bottles about 8pm the night of the incident, belonged to the boy's late granddad.
Jeremy was on Friday arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct and possession of a firearm by a person under the age of 18, according to news site AJC.
A second male teenager, Samuel Grier, 18, has also been arrested in connection to the incident after allegedly threatening to kill Jeremy in a video posted on social media, police said.
He was charged with making terroristic threats and is also being held at Carroll jail.
Candace, a student at Mount Zion High School, had collected her high school graduation cap and gown just days before the tragic incident, Fox News reported.
Ms Hulsey said it didn't appear the children were aware of how to safely handle guns.
"The kids probably haven’t been taught the gun safety rules they should have been taught. And ultimately it resulted in Candace’s death," she said.
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been established to help her family pay for a funeral.
According to the page, Candace has "left behind a broken-hearted community" but there were still "so many precious memories".
"As we all grieve it's time for Eagle Nation to rise up and support a family that has always supported us. The family does not have life insurance for Candace so at this time we ask for any donations," the page read.
"If you can only donate $1 dollar please please do so. It all adds up. Let's help put this beautiful young lady to rest and give her family peace of mind."
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