Matthew Mitchell was 17 and a junior at Greencastle Antrim High School when he died from a gunshot wound on December 31, 2016. He had recently started working at Sunny Way Diner and was described as charming and funny; his interests included video games, zombie movies, lifting weights, fishing, and spending time with animals.

The shooting happened at the home of 15-year-old Taylor Alan Nelson, who had been a friend. Nelson said he didn’t intend to kill him and was unaware the gun was loaded. About 10 minutes later Nelson picked the gun up again, the magazine dropped out, and he put the gun to Mitchell’s head; the shot was fatal.

Taylor Alan Nelson was charged with felony criminal homicide and was to be tried as an adult, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for January 10, 2017. Nelson’s father, Mark Nelson, faced charges including endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, and recklessly endangering another person for unsecured guns and ammunition in the home.

Did anyone who knew Matthew or who was in Greencastle then have details about that night or the household’s firearm storage?