A tragic death in South Carolina has taken an even more unfortunate turn.
That’s because according to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, two young boys, ages 8 and 9, are about to be charged for their alleged roles in the shooting death of Danny Andrew Smith.
The OCSO filed a petition in S.C. family court on Friday with the intention of formally charging the pair of unidentified minors with involuntary manslaughter after Smith was found shot to death on his family’s property outside Walhalla in late June.
The 62-year-old farmer was found dead slumped over a running tractor with a single .22 caliber gunshot wound to the back on the evening of Wednesday, June 23.
“After a consultation with the Solicitor’s Office, and based on the evidence obtained in our ongoing investigation, we believe that both juvenile males discharged a firearm in a reckless manner in the direction of Mr. Smith who was bush hogging on some family property,” said Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw in a release.
“At this time, it is still undetermined which shot ultimately struck and killed Mr. Smith. However, based upon South Carolina law, the hand of one is the hand of all and that is why family court has been petitioned in regards to charging both juveniles with involuntary manslaughter,” the statement continued.