The handgun that was used in the recent shootings that killed two Gwinnett County teenage friends was stolen, police said Friday.
The day before Devin Hodges accidentally shot Chad Carless and later turned the gun on himself, a man reported that his vehicle was broken into while parked at a home in unincorporated Lawrencevillle, Gwinnett police Cpl. Michele Pihera said in a news release. When he approached his vehicle, he saw that the passenger-side door was open and his holster was lying on the ground, police said. The gun had been stolen from the glove box.
MORE: Police ID 2 teen boys killed in Gwinnett shootings
On New Year’s Eve, Hodges, Carless and other teen boys were in a “makeshift shed” on a property on Riverlanding Circle around 4 p.m., according to police. Detectives said Hodges was showing the group a handgun when he accidentally fired a shot, Detective David Smith said in a statement. The shot hit Carless, who was sitting next to him.
“Carless succumbed to his injuries before help could arrive,” Smith said. “As officers were arriving on scene, Hodges was seen running between two homes, where he then took his own life with the handgun.”
Anyone with additional information is encouraged to call GCPD detectives at 770-513-5300.
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