ROSWELL, Ga. -- An accidental shooting in the parking lot of a Motorsports store in Roswell left a teen with special needs dead early Tuesday afternoon, and now those teens' caretaker is charged.
Authorities said 35-year-old Gerard K. Brister now faces involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct charges.
Roswell Police said a group of teens and who also have special needs, stopped at Mountain Motorsports on their way to a camping trip.
Police said six teens were left inside the vehicle in the parking lot of the store in the 1200 block of Upper Hembree Road at about 12:45 p.m., while the adult chaperone, Brister, went inside.
“It appears the gun was in the vehicle," Sgt. Zachary Frommer. "It was a vehicle that I believe belongs to the chaperone or at least was being driven by the chaperone. The chaperone went in the store and left the kids in the car.”
According to police, one of the teens, a 21-year-old with "significantly diminished capabilities" allegedly picked up the gun from under the seat and shot and killed 17-year-old Zachary Chambless of Dunwoody with the gun.
Police said witnesses told them they heard the gunshots.
“I heard two gun shots go off," said Rhiannon Lindsay, a witness. "They were right after each other, just two, quick pops.”
A bystander in the parking lot, a 63-year-old man not connected to the group, was grazed in the hand. Authorities said he drove himself to the hospital.
PHOTOS: Teen with special needs killed in Roswell shooting
While officials have charged Brister, they say the Fulton County District Attorney's Office could charge him with more counts of reckless conduct because of the number of victims and the nature of the situation.
Brister was taken to the Fulton County Jail.
Sign up for The Speed Feed newsletter below to get the latest headlines in your inbox each weekday! (App users click here)
