Man charged with giving gun to boy, 15, who killed girlfriend

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By Christian Boone and Larry Hartstein

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A 21-year-old man has been charged with giving a boy a gun that he used to kill his girlfriend, Clayton County authorities say.

Clayton County Police Department Clayton County police braved a cold creek to recover a weapon used in the killing of a girl Monday.

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Robert Allen Bethune is charged with furnishing or permitting a minor to possess a pistol or revolver, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Bethune is scheduled to appear in Magistrate Court at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Police received a chilling phone call late Monday afternoon from a 15-year-old boy telling them his friend had been shot.

Officers arrived at the scene to find a 16-year-old girl with a fatal gunshot wound to the chest, Clayton police spokeswoman Tina Daniel said. The shooting occurred in a wooded area behind a home in the 4100 block of Dunn Road in Ellenwood.

"There was some sort of argument that ensued and he ended up shooting the 16-year-old," Daniel said. The two high school students apparently were dating.

The 15-year-old confessed to the shooting, Daniel said, and helped lead police to the firearm, which he had dropped in a nearby creek. It was recovered by the Clayton police dive team late Tuesday morning.

The shooter has not been charged but remains in police custody, Daniel said. Because of the nature of the crime, he could be charged as an adult.

The identities of the shooter and victim are being withheld pending the investigation's completion, Daniel said.

--WSB Radio's Pete Combs contributed to this report.