MIAMI COUNTY — An 18-year-old man charged in connection with the death of a high school student in Miami County told detectives he thought the gun was unloaded when he pulled the trigger, according to a court document.
About 10 minutes before 18-year-old Hanna Cox, of Bunker Hill, was fatally shot, she and Jeremiah Smith were sitting in Hanna's car, FaceTimeing with one of their mothers and "laughing and joking around," according to a probable cause affidavit. Cox was a senior at Maconaquah High School.
Smith told detectives Cox came to his house in the afternoon of Feb. 24 in a neighborhood near Grissom Air Reserve Base to return his headphones, according to the affidavit. He got in her car and was trying to fix a gun he said wasn't working.
Smith said he removed the magazine and thought the gun was unloaded, according to the affidavit. But when he pointed the gun at Cox, said "it didn't work" and pulled the trigger, Cox was struck.
A nurse who lives nearby where Cox was shot had just gotten home from work when someone came to the house to tell them Cox was shot, according to the affidavit. Unable to locate a pulse, the nurse started CPR before first responders were able to take over.
While officers were talking with people at the scene, two Black males and a Black female exited a residence with their hands up, according to the affidavit.
PREVIOUS | ISP: Man arrested in fatal shooting of 18-year-old Maconaquah HS student
Smith was charged Monday by prosecutors with involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide and pointing a firearm, according to online court records. An initial hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
Public visitation for Cox's funeral will be held from noon to 3 p.m., followed by a service starting at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 5 at Fuel Church, 2021 E. Markland Ave. in Kokomo, according to her obituary.
She will be buried at Springdale Cemetery in Bunker Hill.
-
Historic Carnegie Library revived as restaurant honoring its past
The former Carnegie Library, built in 1909 and one of more than 2,500 funded by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie across the United States, is entering a new chapter as a restaurant that honors its past.
Packed hearing held for proposed Sabey data center in Decatur Township
A proposed 130-acre data center campus in Decatur Township drew a packed hearing Thursday at the City-County Building.
Health officials are monitoring air pollution with new live data technology
The Marion County Health Department is deploying up to ten new air quality monitors across Indianapolis, with five expected to be placed on the city's west side.
IMPD searching for three suspects following a pursuit with a stolen vehicle
According to police, at around 12:45 p.m., officers found a stolen vehicle believed to be involved in a shots-fired incident earlier on Thursday.
