Teen fatally shoots friend by accident, then kills himself on New Year’s Eve

Two teenage boys are dead after one of the teens fatally shot the other by accident, only to then turn the gun on himself.

The incident happened on Dec. 31, 2018, around 3:15 p.m., in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

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The Gwinnett County Police Department have identified the two victims as Devin Hodges, 15, and Chad Carless, 17.

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According to officials, Hodges was showing his friends a gun in a makeshift shed when it accidentally went off, striking and killing Carless.

“As officers were arriving on scene, Hodges was seen running between two homes where he then took his own life with the handgun,” read a statement by the police department.

Carless was found dead on scene. Police are trying to find out where Hodges obtained the gun.

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The investigation into this incident is ongoing.

Every day in the United States, 78 children, teens or young adults are killed or injured by a gun, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

AAP also notes that many guns are left unlocked or loaded within homes with children.