On the night of January 8, 2026, 16-year-old Charleston Wright was shot on Ozark Street near Delaware Street in Baton Rouge. First responders found him about 9:35 p.m.; he was taken to a local hospital and later pronounced dead from a gunshot wound.

Baton Rouge Police Department homicide detectives investigated and concluded the shooting was accidental. Investigators identified 24-year-old Jerry Smith as the person who accidentally fired the weapon. Smith was taken into custody and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on a charge of negligent homicide.

The circumstances that led to the fatal discharge have not been fully detailed in reports. If anyone witnessed the incident or has information about what happened on Ozark Street that night, please share what is known.