VIDEO: Family Members Still In Shock After Teenage Boy Was Accidentally Shot And Killed

NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)-An accidental shooting leaves a family and community in shock.

Spenson Bennett Jr., 13,  died after returning from a hunting trip in Noxubee County.

Investigators are calling it a rare and tragic accident.

“Well It’s a shock, you always, you know it’s just a shock when you hear something like that it’s just a shock,” said James Gillespie, Bennett’s grandfather.

Yellow crime tape wavered in the wind as family members walked around the yard where the teen was accidentally shot and killed.

Gillespie said Bennett loved being in the woods, and that’s a fond memory of the teen they’ll always keep.

“Basically, one of the young men had a rifle and he was passing it and to my knowledge it dropped and went off, hit the ground and went off,” said Noxubee County Sheriff Terry Grassaree.

“It’s a shock to me, shock to this community, but accidents do happened.” said Gillespie.

Sheriff Grassaree said Bennett was shot once in his lower torso. Less than 24 hours later orange markings can still be seen in the grass where the Columbus boy passed away.

“When I got here and saw him on the ground only thing I wanted to do was hold him, but I couldn’t hold him, and I knew then he was dead when they put the cover over his head,” said Shunessy Sherrod, Bennett’s relative.

Family members tell WCBI it’ll take time for their hearts to heal from this tragedy.

“Really you never expect for somebody that young to go, especially not like that,” said Sheriff Grassaree.

“It’s a hurting thing for anyone especially to a child, because their life has just begun,” said Gillespie.

Those close to Bennett describe the teen as a bright kid who had an even brighter future.

“He had started coming to himself and started maturing,” Sherrod recalled. “He had started acting like a young man, and I just hate it now because he didn’t get to do everything he wanted to do cause he was so young.”

“For his age he appeared to me to be very advanced, you know he was an advanced kid,” Gillespie explained. “I look at him as you know, with just a little love and kindness shown unto him he could’ve gone much further.”

Right now, no arrests are expected.  Bennett’s body was sent to Pearl for an autopsy.