Johnathan Jon-Jon Pearson, 16, of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, died on November 27, 2015, after being shot in the chest inside a home on West 37th Street. The shooting occurred while 21-year-old Kenerick Taylor was handling a small-caliber handgun; reports say the gun discharged as Taylor was playing with it and the wound proved fatal.

The death was treated as an accidental shooting stemming from negligent handling of the firearm. Legal proceedings later addressed Taylor’s role in the incident, with a manslaughter plea entered in March 2017 and a sentence reflecting the court’s finding that the shooting was accidental.

Pearson’s death underscores the consequences of improper firearm handling and the loss felt by his family and community.