An elderly high school in Georgia was fatally shot while hanging out with pals in a backyard, where investigators believe they did the target practice, the sheriff said.
Candace Chrzan, a 17-year-old man who attended Mount Zion High School in Jonesboro, died late Tuesday after being shot in the house in Mount Zion, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
“It remains an open and active investigation and all parties involved in this horrific tragedy are currently working together,” the office said in a statement on Wednesday.
Investigators are working with prosecutors and have not yet determined if any charges will be filed for the death of the ‘sweet’ promising teenager who picked up her promotional hat and gown earlier this week.
“It was just a few friends in the backyard, according to what we were told, and possibly doing target exercise with a gun,” sheriff’s spokeswoman Ashley Hulsey told WSB-TV. “The children probably did not learn the safety rules they had to learn. In the end, it resulted in Candace’s death.”
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Investigators believe the shooting was an accident, but criminal charges in the teenager’s death are possible, Hulsey told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“We do not believe it was intentional,” Hulsey said.
Chrzan, a member of Mount Zion High School Marching Band, left a broken hearted community, according to an online fundraiser to reimburse funeral expenses.
“While we are all mourning, it’s time for Eagle Nation to stand up and support a family we have always supported,” organizer Tiffany Cantrell wrote. “Let’s help calm this beautiful young lady and give her family peace of mind.”
Sheriff’s officials have asked the public to respect the privacy of the family as they are saddened by the loss of a ‘bright young soul’ and when her classmates return to school on Thursday.
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Cardiac counselors were available to students at the school, ABC News reported.