Authorities have charged a Habersham County man with reckless conduct in an apparent accidental shooting that injured him and a friend.
John Charles Hall, 24, told investigators he was cleaning his gun when it went off. A round from the Diamondback 9mm shot through Hall’s left hand into the side of Gabriel Wayne Coley, 23.
The men told investigators the shooting happened in the living room of Coley’s residence at 4651 Historic Highway 441 north of Turnerville. After being shot, Coley drove himself and Hall approximately two miles south to the M-Mart convenience store on Tom Born Road and called 911.
Habersham County E-911 dispatched units to the convenience store around 12:44 p.m. on Thursday, December 15. Coley corroborated Hall’s story to investigators, saying that when Hall went to take the slide off the gun, it fired.
Habersham County Emergency Services transported both men to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville for treatment.
Investigators secured the residence to search for evidence. The incident report from the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office indicates marijuana may have been involved, but no drug charges have been filed.
The case remains under investigation.
