In Griffin, Georgia, on a December evening, the life of 18-year-old Gideon Phazion Mays was tragically cut short. On December 15, 2014, Mays was at a friend's house on Chappell Street when a firearm was discharged. He sustained a single gunshot wound to the neck from a large-caliber weapon and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the shooting led to the arrest of 23-year-old Terrize Stroud. Investigators with the Griffin Police Department determined that the shooting was accidental and not a homicide. According to the police, Mays and Stroud were handling a gun when it accidentally discharged, striking Mays.
Stroud was charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct in connection with the incident. Authorities reported that Stroud was cooperative with the investigation, having contacted them himself without any attempt to flee. The evidence at the scene was consistent with his account of the events. Stroud was subsequently held in the Spalding County Jail.
