On October 30, 2019, 13-year-old Jair Gonzalez was fatally shot in his Duluth, Georgia, apartment at the Portico Apartments on Preston Park Drive. Jair and a 14-year-old friend, both students at Duluth Middle School, were reportedly playing with a gun they found in the residence when the firearm discharged while they were on a FaceTime call. A call for help came in about 5:30 p.m.; officers found Jair bleeding heavily and he died shortly after being taken to a hospital.

Gwinnett County homicide detectives later classified the shooting as a tragic accident. The 14-year-old friend was charged as a juvenile with reckless conduct; his name was not released because of his age. Jair’s mother, Ana Rodriguez, remembered him as a blessing who could brighten anyone’s day. Friends, family, classmates and neighbors held a memorial at the apartment complex, and the school provided extra counseling to help students cope.

If anyone knew Jair or was at the complex that afternoon, please share any information that might help clarify what happened.