In the late winter of 2022, a sense of play turned to tragedy in Milledgeville, Georgia, resulting in the death of 10-year-old Charles Patton, also known as CJ. On a Sunday in February, while in the company of other children, Patton was struck in the head by a pellet from a rifle. The incident occurred at a residence on Waller Street.
Emergency responders, including Baldwin County Fire Rescue and Grady Emergency Medical Services, treated the young male at the scene before he was
airlifted to The Children's Hospital of Atlanta. Despite the medical intervention, Patton succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday, February 23, 2022. A fundraising campaign initiated by a friend of the family described the shooting as an accident, stating the pellet lodged in his brain after striking him in the temple.
The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office launched an investigation into the shooting, which led to the arrest of 17-year-old Jamarius Walls of Milledgeville. Walls was taken into custody and transported to the Baldwin County Law Enforcement Center. He was subsequently charged with felony involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of the fourth-grader from Midway Hills Academy.
