Three-year-old Hunter Lee Hatch of Mebane, North Carolina, died on May 7, 2025, after an accidental gunshot inside a vehicle parked near the Walker Athletic Complex during a T-ball game. Officers were dispatched just before 8 p.m. to West Lee Street and South First Street on reports of shots fired; a firearm was recovered and initial findings indicated it discharged unintentionally. The child was taken for treatment but was pronounced dead that evening.

In the weeks after the shooting, Mebane police charged Hunter’s parents, Michael Ray Hatch and Kaitlyn Elizabeth Hatch, each with one misdemeanor count of failing to store a firearm to protect minors. Both were served with criminal summonses on May 27, 2025, and records show they pleaded guilty during their first court appearance on July 3, receiving a prayer for judgment continued and court costs. No other suspects have been named.

If anyone attended the game or saw activity in the parking area that evening, or has information about how the firearm came to be accessible, please come forward.