Michael Caleb McNatt was 13 when he was fatally wounded on October 7, 2016, in Augusta, Georgia. He was at a friend’s home on Dove Roven Road with a group of friends about 12 to 13 years old; the children were handling a firearm when it accidentally discharged and struck Michael. He was taken to Augusta University Medical Center and pronounced dead at 6:30 p.m. that evening.

A lifelong Augusta resident and Pine Hill Middle School student, Michael played oboe in the school band and enjoyed basketball, music, swimming, video games, and spending time outdoors with his siblings. His parents are Stacy Marie Cook and Matthew Curtis McNatt, and he was raised in part by grandparents Roscoe and Donna Cook, who survived him. The family asked mourners to wear red to his funeral.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office investigated and, according to Sheriff’s Lt. Allan Rollins, determined the shooting was an accident while the children were playing with the gun; the incident was not classified as a homicide and no charges were filed. If anyone was with Michael that day or has information about how the gun came to be accessible, please share what is known.