Grandmother and grandson charged after 15-year-old shot to death, SC cops say
A grandmother and her grandson are charged after a 15-year-old boy was shot to death, South Carolina officials told news outlets.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said a group was playing with a loaded gun when the grandson accidentally shot the teen in late November. People gathered at the home are accused of attempting to cover up what happened.
“Several conspired to try and report the shooting as a suicide and even had the audacity to move the gun closer to the victim,” deputies wrote in a Dec. 4 news release.
The teen died from his injuries four days after the shooting. Then on Dec. 3, the sheriff’s office said it made two arrests.
Deputies said the grandma, 66-year-old Carol Jackson Ray, is charged with obstruction of justice. Her grandson, identified as 20-year-old Christopher Brian James Ray, is charged with manslaughter and gun possession, WYFF and WHNS reported.
Online court records indicate the two relatives are representing themselves. McClatchy News didn’t immediately find contact information for them.
Deputies were called at about 12:30 p.m. Nov. 22 to the Ray’s home in Gaffney, a roughly 50-mile drive northeast from Greenville. At the scene, first responders found a teen who had been shot and flew him to a hospital, the sheriff’s office wrote in a past news release.
At the time, investigators didn’t believe there was a threat to the public. They learned the story about the 15-year-old shooting himself was a lie and determined Christopher Brian James Ray fired the gun, deputies said.
The teen was taken off life support Nov. 26. Days after his death, the Rays were booked into jail.
“It’s a sad world when people try to stage a suicide because of their carelessness and recklessness while playing with a loaded handgun resulting in a tragic death,” Sheriff Steve Mueller wrote in the news release. “It is our hopes that they get all the justice they deserve when they have their day in court.”
The Cherokee County sheriff’s and coroner’s offices didn’t immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on Dec. 5.
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 9:32 AM with the headline "Grandmother and grandson charged after 15-year-old shot to death, SC cops say."
