James Russell Keyser Parker, 19, of Cameron, West Virginia, died December 26, 2014, after a gunshot inside a residence at 24 North Avenue in Cameron. Parker, born in Morgantown and a 2013 graduate of Cameron High School, worked as a laborer with Laborers Local 1149 and served with the Cameron Fire Department. He was remembered as an avid hunter and fisherman who enjoyed spending time with friends.

Police reported that a 14-year-old juvenile was handling a firearm and believed it was unloaded; the teenager pointed the gun at Parker and pulled the trigger, and the firearm discharged, striking Parker in the forehead. Parker was pronounced dead that evening. Authorities initially described the shooting as apparently accidental and later filed a juvenile petition in January 2015 alleging involuntary manslaughter and wanton endangerment involving a firearm. The teenager’s name was not released because of his age, and later public disposition of the juvenile case was not identified in contemporaneous reporting.

If anyone knew James or was at 24 North Avenue that afternoon, please share what might help clarify how the firearm and ammunition came to be involved.