On June 30, 2013, 11-year-old William Owens of the Jarvisville area in Harrison County, West Virginia, was killed by a stray bullet that penetrated the wall of his father’s house while he slept. His grandmother, Tina Owens, then 57, had gone outside from her separate home roughly 200 yards away after she and William’s father believed someone might be tampering with nearby property. Tina fired several shots into the darkness with a .40-caliber handgun in an apparent effort to frighten off suspected intruders; investigators found no evidence prowlers had been present.

The fatal round came from the handgun she had fired and struck William in the chest, producing catastrophic injuries from which he died. Contemporary accounts described the shooting as accidental rather than an intentional attack on the child.

If anyone knew William or has information about the incident, please share what you can.