On a crisp autumn evening in 2018, the life of 23-year-old John L. Carney of LeRoy, New York, was cut tragically short. The fatal incident occurred on November 9th during a party inside a barn on Byron Holley Road in the town of Byron. Carney, along with six or seven other individuals, was present when a 9mm semi-automatic Ruger handgun was discharged.
The weapon legally belonged to Carney himself.
According to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, the shooting was the unfortunate result of horseplay and careless handling of the firearm. Investigators, after speaking with witnesses and consulting with the Monroe County Medical Examiner and the Genesee County District Attorney, determined the shooting to be accidental. Carney was pronounced dead at the scene.
In the aftermath of the tragic event, several people were questioned by authorities to piece together the exact sequence of events that led to the fatal shooting. However, the investigation concluded that there was no evidence of foul play or intentional harm. As the death was ruled an accident, no arrests were made in connection with the incident. The community was left to mourn the loss of a young man remembered as an avid hunter.
