Jonathan Troy Swierski, 20, of Matthews, North Carolina, was fatally shot on July 6, 2019, following an altercation at Paces Pointe Apartments. The dispute involved two groups who knew one another and turned physical; Jonathan was shot by a friend who later said the shotgun discharged after he was struck on the arm with a table leg and that the shooting was accidental.

The Matthews Police Department and the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office decided not to file criminal charges, concluding prosecutors could not prove the shooter intentionally pointed the gun or that he was not acting in self-defense. Jonathan’s family—his parents Scott and Dawn Swierski—have expressed outrage and have pursued civil litigation against the apartment complex and the shooter while campaigning for accountability through a Facebook page called Justice for Jonathan.

What details from that night might help clarify whether the shooting was accidental or criminal?