Palladium-Item (IN)
Richmond 16-year-old dies from gunshot wound
BY MICHELLE MANCHIR • STAFF WRITER • September 27, 2008

A Richmond teen with a 100-megawatt smile and an affinity for drawing and basketball died Thursday night following an accidental gunshot to his head.

Corey A. Smith died three days after the shooting Tuesday. He had been on life support at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.



The Richmond High School junior was fondly recalled by a cousin, LaTosha Deloney, who said he attended church often and filled his days with school and a part-time job.

And she said most important to him was his family, especially his mother Amanda Wagner of Indianapolis and his "grammy," Mary Keller of Richmond.

The accidental shooting occurred about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at 515 S. Eighth St., the home of one of Smith's friends, Deloney said, adding that the family has no doubt the shooting was unintentional.

[ earlier coverage ]

Palladium-Item (IN)
Gunshot wound puts teen on life support
Family gathers around bedside of 'most helpful person'
BY MICHELLE MANCHIR • STAFF WRITER • September 26, 2008

A 16-year-old Richmond youth described by family as "the most helpful person" remained Thursday evening on life support at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.

Police say Corey A. Smith, 16, 809 N. 18th St., suffered a self-inflicted gunshot to his head.

His cousin, LaTosha Deloney, 23, of Richmond said Thursday afternoon several of the teen's friends and family members were at his bedside.

"We've got a hospital full of kids (to see him)," she said.

Smith,a junior at Richmond High School, was holding a .32-caliber revolver when it fired around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at 515 S. Eighth St., police said.

"From what we've been able to find it was just ... horseplay more than anything," said Lt. Brad Berner of the Richmond Police Department. "We don't think he intended to do anything. He was just playing around with it ... thinking it wasn't going to fire. According to a witness he fired once and it didn't go off."

Berner discounted initial reports indicating Smith might have been playing Russian roulette, a potentially lethal parlay situation in which participants place a single round inside a revolver, spin the cylinder and pull the trigger. Police are continuing to investigate the events leading to the accidental shooting, and also attempting to determine how Smith obtained the handgun.

The Tunica Times (MS)
Shooting ruled accidental
Peter Thomas 25.SEP.08

The Tunica community is still reeling over the accidental death of a local teen on Wednesday, Sept. 17.

Just before midnight, Tunica County sheriff�s deputies found 17-year-old Patrick Davis of 760 Monroe Alley lying near the playground at Academy Estates with a single gunshot wound to the head. EMS and Tunica First Responders were unable to resuscitate the victim. Tunica County Coroner Glenn Grant was called to the scene.

Although rumors quickly began to spread that the shooting may have been the result of several youth playing Russian Roulette, officials made no comment on those allegations.