An 18-year-old man died after being accidentally shot at the Georgia International Horse Park on Wednesday, Conyers police confirmed.

Marcus Shaffer of Conyers was with a friend on a trail off Centennial Olympic Parkway at the time of the shooting, police said in a news release. The 18-year-old friend called 911, and when police arrived they found Shaffer with a single gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The friend has been cooperating with the investigation and is considered a witness at this time, police said. Investigators are not looking for any other persons of interest.

“Information provided by the witness, along with evidence collected at the crime scene, indicates that the death was likely the result of a firearms-related accident,” the news release states.

No one has been charged, and no one else is believed to have been in the immediate area at the time the firearm was discharged, according to the release. One weapon, described as a semi-automatic shotgun, was located at the scene.

Officials are still investigating the circumstances that led to the firearm being discharged.

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Lt. Gov. Burt Jones — pictured at an August rally in Peachtree City that also featured Vice President JD Vance — appears to have scored another legal victory over gubernatorial rival Attorney General Chris Carr in their battle over campaign finance issues. (Arvin Temkar/AJC 2025)

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