A teenager was shot in Stonecrest on Monday night after a gun accidentally went off while it was being cleaned, according to DeKalb County police. Officers responding to the 200 block of Meadowood Ridge at around 9:50 p.m. found the teen suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital, where he is expected to recover.
Police believe 49-year-old Napoleon Braxton, who is the boyfriend of the teenager's mother, was the one cleaning the firearm when it discharged and struck the teen, according to Atlanta News First. Braxton has since been charged with reckless conduct in connection with the shooting.
What Investigators Say Happened
Details beyond the basic sequence of events remain limited. The outlet's report does not specify the teen's exact age, the type of firearm involved, or why the gun discharged during cleaning, and no additional court records or department statements have been made public describing the incident further.
Accidental discharges during gun cleaning are not unheard of around the region. In July, Atlanta police investigated a reported accidental gun discharge that left a child injured in southwest Atlanta, according to WSB-TV Channel 2. And in August, two people faced charges after a weapon was accidentally discharged inside a Clayton County Walmart, per FOX 5 Atlanta.
A Recurring Pattern in Unintentional Shootings
Firearm cleaning shows up repeatedly as a factor in unintentional shootings nationally. One study found that cleaning the gun accounted for 27 percent of firearm injuries examined, with unsafe handling practices making up another 21 percent, according to research indexed on pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. That same research noted that emphasizing safe cleaning practices could help reduce these kinds of injuries.
The pattern extends beyond Georgia. A 2-year-old was shot in the leg during gun cleaning, Tulare County deputies said in a case reported by KMPH. In Kansas, a Lansing man pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter after an accidental fatal shooting during a gun-cleaning session, according to KSHB.
Federal data underscores how common unintentional injuries are within the broader universe of firearm harm. The CDC reports that nearly two out of every 10 medically treated firearm injuries are unintentional, even as the large majority stem from firearm-related assaults. No further updates on Braxton's case, including court dates or a possible outcome, have been reported.
