Waveland P.D. investigating teen’s accidental shooting death
Published 1:22 pm Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Update 3-10-21 — This story has been updated to correct the last name of the victim.
By Geoff Belcher
General Manager, Sea Coast Echo
The Waveland Police Department is investigating the apparently accidental shooting death of a teenage boy.
At around 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27, “officers were dispatched to the area of Gulfside Assembly and Beach Blvd. regarding a gunshot victim,” Waveland Police Chief Mike Prendergast said in a press release issued Wednesday.
“Upon arrival, officers began administering first aid to a 14-year-old male subject who had a gunshot wound to the torso area,” Prendergast said. “During the investigation, it was learned that the juvenile was traveling with three other people in a 2014 Dodge Ram. The victim was a passenger in the vehicle. Another passenger in the vehicle removed a handgun from the holster located on his person in an attempt to secure the weapon when the firearm discharged.”
He told police “that he was clearing the weapon and his hand slipped and the gun went off,” Prendergast said. “The driver was not aware of the passengers handling the gun until he heard the shot.”
Prendergast said the victim was transported to University Medical Center in New Orleans, “where he succumbed to his injuries.”
The victim was later identified as Christian Jones, a resident of Poplarville, according to Hancock County Deputy Coroner Melissa Taillon.
No charges have yet been filed, but the case is still under investigation, Prendergast said.
