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.
-
Two Indiana cities top U.S. News rankings for best places to live
Two central Indiana cities have claimed the top spots on U.S. News & World Report's 2026-2027 rankings of the best places to live in America.
4 women arrested after fight at Fishers Qdoba injures pregnant woman
An argument over an ex-boyfriend at a Fishers restaurant over the weekend ended with a pregnant woman injured and four others under arrest.
Caitlin Clark to serve as grand marshal of 110th Indianapolis 500
Caitlin Clark will serve as grand marshal of the 110th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, where she will command drivers to report to their cars before the race.
Rossi still hoping to compete in Indy 500 after crash leads to hand surgery
Alexander Rossi had surgery to repair minor injuries to his left hand Monday night following a crash earlier in the day during practice for the Indianapolis 500, his team announced.
