In the quiet of a late December evening in Noxubee County, the life of 13-year-old Spenson Bennett Jr. was tragically cut short. On December 29, 2016, the young male from Columbus was visiting a friend's home on Buggs Ferry Road in Macon, Mississippi. He had just returned from a hunting trip with a friend and an adult shortly after 6 p.m. when the incident occurred.
What was meant to be a time of camaraderie turned into a scene of sorrow.
As a high-powered rifle was reportedly being passed around, the firearm discharged. A single shot struck Bennett in the upper abdomen, and he died at the scene. The event was described by authorities as a gun accident. At the time of his death, Spenson was a student at B.F. Liddell Middle School and was a member of St. Mark's Church of Holiness.
Following the shooting, the Noxubee County Coroner, R.L. Calhoun, confirmed the details of the incident. There were no reports of arrests or suspects in connection with the accidental shooting. The focus of the immediate aftermath was on the loss of a young life under sudden and unfortunate circumstances. Services for Spenson were held at Noxubee High School, with his burial following in Harrison Grove MB Church Cemetery.
