Fifteen-year-old Dakota Chavers died on February 12, 2026, after being shot during what authorities described as horseplay at a residence on Rainey Lane. Deputies from the Independence County Sheriff’s Office found Chavers unresponsive on a couch with gunshot wounds to his wrist and chest; emergency care including a tourniquet and chest compressions was given at the scene, and he was later pronounced dead at White River Medical Center.

Investigators and an autopsy by the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory noted the wounds were consistent with possible defensive injuries and that a bullet was in level flight. The probe led to the arrest of 18-year-old Gauge Daniel Allen of Cave City. Allen initially said the rifle had accidentally fallen, then told investigators he had picked up the rifle and pointed it at Chavers during horseplay. Allen said Chavers warned the gun was loaded, and that the weapon discharged as Allen moved it away. Allen was charged with manslaughter and held on $50,000 bond.

Are there witnesses or neighbors who were in the area that night who can add details about what happened on Rainey Lane?