JaTerreon Thorne, 17, died from a gunshot sustained in the front yard of his home on Horseman Drive in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on April 2, 2016. A junior at Northwestern High School who had played football, Thorne was in a backyard man cave with friends when a loaded .22-caliber pistol was handled and discharged, striking him in the chest.

The shooting was first investigated as a homicide but was later determined to be accidental. After the shooting, friends moved Thorne to the side of the house and attempted to revive him with a water hose. One friend, 20-year-old Robreece Pickett, initially fled and blamed a rival gang but later admitted his role after another friend told the truth. Pickett was charged with involuntary manslaughter and unlawful carry of a weapon and pleaded guilty; he was also convicted on a marijuana possession charge. Prosecutors said those present had been passing the illegal firearm around during the day, and Pickett was on bond for a prior gun possession charge at the time. Thorne’s mother told the court she felt the sentence was a slap on the wrist.

Are there readers who knew JaTerreon or who can shed light on the events that day?