Sheldon Lewis, 17-year-old boy shot dead at Gwinnett County motel after gun Shermarcus Cockran was cleaning ‘accidentally’ dislodged and going through motel room wall and killing teen boy as he played video games.
A 31-year-old man faces felony charges after a gun he was cleaning, ‘accidentally’ discharged leading to a bullet striking and killing a 17-year-old boy staying in a motel room next door, Georgia authorities said.
Sheldon Lewis, 17, had been staying at a Gwinnett County motel, where Shermarcus Cockran, 31, had also been staying. Calamity struck just before midnight, Thursday when Cockran’s gun accidentally went off while cleaning it. According to Gwinnett County investigators, a bullet went through the two occupant’s adjoining wall, leading to the 17-year-old being fatally struck.
Shooter had just returned from the gun range and was cleaning gun when it ‘accidentally’ discharged
Authorities with the Gwinnett County Police Department say the shooting happened at the Live In Lodge Extended Stay on Stone Mountain Highway around 11 p.m. on Thursday according to 11Alive.
At the time of the tragedy, Lewis had been staying in room 216 playing video games when Cockran’s bullet traveled through the wall between his room and Lewis’s room, CBS News reported.
Investigators determined that the bullet that struck the boy had come from Cockran’s room 215, with the 31-year-old telling detectives he had just returned from a gun range and was cleaning his firearm when it went off, sending a round into the wall.
Police arrested Cockran following the preliminary investigation. He currently faces several charges, including involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the case to call Gwinnett County detectives at (770) 513-5300.
