Mississippi 14-year-old to face manslaughter charges after shooting his 11-year-old cousin to death with shotgun
Published 6:28 pm Friday, September 17, 2021
A Vicksburg teenager accused of the June 8 shooting death of his 11-year-old cousin has been indicted by the Warren County grand jury.
Thomas Erwin Hardmon, 14, is charged in the indictment with manslaughter by culpable negligence in the shooting, which claimed the life of his cousin, Rashawn Wilbert. He is accused of pointing a 12-gauge shotgun at the boy and pulling the trigger.
Hardmon has been certified to stand trial as an adult.
At 7:56 p.m. on June 8, officers of VPD and personnel from the Vicksburg Fire Department were dispatched to an address on Elizabeth Circle for shooting. Inside the residence, they found Wilbert suffering from a gunshot wound to his chest. He was later pronounced dead at the scene.
At the time, it appeared that the shooting was accidental, a statement from VPD said, but after the grand jury reviewed the case they determined evidence existed to charge Hardmon.