Boy's shooting death ruled an accident
12-year-old may have been playing with the gun,
authorities say
By
Don Jacobs knoxnews.com
Authorities said Thursday that a 12-year-old Loudon County boy may have
been playing with a .22-caliber gun when it discharged
into his head and deemed his death an accident. The
death of Stone Phillips, who attended Lenoir City Middle
School, emphasizes the need for gun safety, said Loudon
County Sheriff's Office Investigator Chris White.
"I think we can safely say this was an accidental
shooting," White said.
Authorities reached that conclusion upon the
completion of an autopsy at the University of Tennessee
Forensic Center.
"He could have been playing with it," White said.
"The angle of the bullet makes us think it was an
accident. It was not a contact wound."
Stone's mother found his prone body on the floor of
his bedroom at 7:07 a.m. Tuesday. She had gone to his
room to rouse him for school.
Although no one heard the shot from the revolver,
White said evidence indicates that Stone suffered the
wound just minutes before his mother found him. The gun
was found under his body, which apparently slid from the
bed onto the floor.
Stone's father already had left for work at the time,
authorities said, leaving only Stone and his mother in
the house just outside the Lenoir City limits.
Stone died at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the University of
Tennessee Medical Center.
White said the revolver belonged to Stone's
grandfather but that the boy was not supposed to have it
in his room.
"Guns need to be locked up and the ammunition
separate," White said.
Although Stone was familiar with guns because he had
been hunting, White said the boy didn't have a solid
comprehension of how dangerous firearms can be when not
handled properly.
"We're talking about a 12-year-old here who just did
not understand the consequences of playing with a loaded
weapon," White said.
No charges are expected because of the shooting, he
said.
12-year-old Loudon County boy dies of gunshot wound
By Don Jacobs knoxnews.com
Authorities said this morning a 12-year-old middle school student died
about 11 a.m. from a bullet wound to his head.
Loudon County Sheriff's Office Lt. Detective Jeff Vittatoe confirmed
that Stone Phillips died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.
Stone was admitted to the UT Medical Center with a .22-caliber gunshot
wound to the right side of his head on Tuesday, Loudon County Sheriff
Tim Guider said..
.Guider said Stone's mother, Gretta Phillips, called E-911 shortly after
7 a.m. Tuesday to say "she had checked on her son and he was
unconscious."
"She called back a second time and said there was blood around his
head," the sheriff said.
Guider said it appears Stone was shot while sitting on the edge of his
bed at his Highland Avenue residence.
"He was on the floor next to his bed when we arrived," Guider said.
Under Stone's prone body officers found the .22-caliber pistol, the
sheriff said.
"Right now we're trying to determine if it is accidental or
self-inflicted," Guider said.
Because most of the boy's family has gathered at the hospital, Guider
said detectives have not been able to determine if Stone had been
despondent or recently threatened to harm himself. There was no suicide
note found in Stone's room.
Stone attended Lenoir City Middle School.
Guider said Stone's mother, Gretta Phillips, had yelled for her son to
get out of bed for school and then she climbed back under the bed covers
for warmth during the sub-freezing morning temperatures. When she went
to his room, Phillips found her son on the floor and his breathing
labored.
The boy's father already had left for his job in Vonore, Guider said.
The sheriff said Gretta Phillips didn't hear a gunshot before finding
her son.
Questions remain about boy's death
By J.J. Stambaugh knoxnews.com
Authorities on Wednesday were still unsure whether a 12-year-old middle
school student who apparently shot himself was the victim of an accident
or suicide.
Stone Phillips, a Lenoir City Middle School student, died Wednesday
morning at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. He was found
shortly after 7 a.m. Tuesday by his mother, who called 911 to say that
she'd found him unconscious in his bedroom.
Police believe he was shot while sitting on the edge of his bed at the
Highland Avenue residence, and a .22-caliber revolver was found under
his prone body.
"We've talked to teachers, to friends, and to family," said Investigator
Chris White of the Loudon County Sheriff's Office. "We've been going
back over the evidence that's been collected, just trying to come up
with a 'why.' There's no doubt that he did it, there's no foul play. ...
It's just a matter of why a 12-year-old boy would kill himself."
White said the handgun belonged to a family member but wasn't supposed
to be allowed upstairs, where the boy's bedroom was. White also said
that Phillips was familiar with firearms and had been on numerous
hunting trips with a grandfather in Kentucky.
Phillips had given no indications that he was depressed or suicidal,
according to White.
A ruling on the manner of Phillips' death won't be made until an autopsy
is complete, he said.
There was no suicide note found in the boy's room, according to Sheriff
Tim Guider.
"It's a tragic loss for the community, for the school, for the other
kids to have to deal with, especially here with the holiday," said
White.
12-year-old critical after shooting self in head
By Don Jacobs knoxnews.com
A 12-year-old middle school boy was in critical condition this afternoon
after his mother found him in his bedroom suffering from a gunshot wound
to the head.
Stone Phillips was admitted to the University of Tennessee Medical
Center with a .22-caliber wound to the right side of his head, Loudon
County Sheriff Tim Guider said today.
Guider said Stone's mother, Gretta Phillips, called E-911 shortly after
7 a.m. to say "she had checked on her son and he was unconscious."
"She called back a second time and said there was blood around his
head," the sheriff said.
Guider said it appears Stone was shot while sitting on the edge of his
bed at his residence on Highland Avenue.
"He was on the floor next to his bed when we arrived," Guider said.
Under Stone's prone body officers found the .22-caliber pistol, the
sheriff said.
"Right now we're trying to determine if it is accidental or
self-inflicted," Guider said.
Because most of the boy's family has gathered at the hospital, Guider
said detectives have not been able to determine if Stone had been
despondent or recently threatened to harm himself. There was no suicide
note found in Stone's room.
Stone attended Lenoir City Middle School.
Guider said Stone's mother, Gretta Phillips, had yelled for her son to
get out of bed for school and then she climbed back under the bed covers
for warmth during the sub-freezing morning temperatures. When she went
to his room, Gretta Phillips found her son on the floor and his
breathing labored.
The boy's father already had left for his job in Vonore, Guider said.
The sheriff said Gretta Phillips didn't hear a gunshot before finding
her son.
Loudon County boy, 12, shot in head; sheriff investigating
By Don Jacobs knoxnews.com
Loudon County authorities this morning are investigating the shooting of
a 12-year-old boy who has been rushed by ambulance to the University of
Tennessee Medical Center.
The head wound to the boy could be life-threatening, said Bryant Howard,
operations manager with Rural/Metro ambulance in Loudon County.
Howard said authorities responded about 7:15 a.m. to a residence on
Highland Avenue where the boy was found.
The Loudon County Sheriff's Office is investigating the shooting.
Lenoir City, Loudon County (WVLT) -Loudon County Sheriff's deputies
are on the scene of a shooting that involved a 12-year-old boy.
Deputies say the incident happened just after 7:00 this morning at a
home on Highland Avenue.
Loudon County Assistant Chief Deputy James Davis says the boy is
suffering from a gunshot wound to his head.
Davis would not comment on how the shooting occured.
Davis does say the boy is in critical condition at UT Medical Center.
He says his deputies are on the way to the hospital at this hour.
We are continuing to speak with authorities and will continue to
update the story as more information becomes available. |