Braydon Stokes was 17 when he was shot and killed at a residence on Brown Street in Chauncey, Georgia, on the morning of Saturday, November 16, 2019. Emergency services arrived around 9:00 a.m.; he was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead shortly after arrival. A junior at Dodge County High School, his death deeply affected the small community.

The Chauncey Police Department and the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office opened the initial investigation; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took part as well. A 15-year-old juvenile in the home, recently returned from a hunting trip, told investigators his firearm accidentally discharged and struck Stokes. An autopsy on November 18, 2019, ruled the cause of death a gunshot wound.

The GBI continued its inquiry for months. On February 3, 2020, authorities arrested the 15-year-old and charged him with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct; he was not publicly identified because he is a juvenile. Did anyone in Chauncey know Braydon or see him that morning and can share what happened?