On October 23, 2019, eleven-year-old Sam S.M. Girod died of a single gunshot wound to the torso at a home in Adams County near Geneva, Indiana. Medics pronounced him deceased at the scene and the Adams County Coroner confirmed the cause of death. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office’s preliminary inquiry determined the shot was fired accidentally by one of Sam’s siblings, who is also a minor.

A criminal investigation was opened and the Sheriff’s Office planned to forward its findings to the Adams County Prosecutor to decide whether charges were warranted. Officials did not release identifying details about the sibling or the specific circumstances leading up to the shooting. Sam is survived by his parents and nine siblings; funeral services were held at the family residence and he was buried at Bunker Hill Cemetery in rural Geneva.

Does anyone in the area have information about the household circumstances or firearm safety practices at the time?