A gunshot shattered the quiet of a Kentucky parking lot—and within moments, a teenage girl was dying.
Police say a 15-year-old girl was accidentally shot dead by her close friend early Sunday morning while the two were sitting inside a vehicle in the parking lot of a Lowe’s store in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. The alleged shooter was also just 15.
Authorities identified the victim as Katen Atwell, a high school student whose life ended after a handgun was picked up, pointed, and fired inside the vehicle.
Investigators say the girls were with 21-year-old Bryan Paul Harbison, who allegedly bought alcohol for them earlier in the night before driving to the store parking lot to “hang out and drink.” Harbison told police he met the teens through Snapchat and claimed he believed Atwell was 18.
The shooting unfolded just after 2:30 a.m. Police say Atwell and Harbison were sitting in the back of the truck when the other teen, seated in the driver’s seat, grabbed a gun from inside the vehicle.
During questioning, the teen admitted she picked up the handgun, aimed it at Atwell, and pulled the trigger. One round struck Atwell directly in the chest.
There are sharply conflicting stories about how the gun ended up in her hands. The teen told police Harbison placed the weapon on the center console and assured her it was unloaded. Harbison, however, claimed the firearm had been secured in the glove compartment and said the teen removed it without his knowledge.
When officers rushed to the scene, they found Harbison desperately performing CPR. Atwell was transported to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Harbison has been charged with third-degree unlawful transaction with a minor and first-degree wanton endangerment and is being held at the Hardin County Detention Center. The 15-year-old girl who fired the gun is also in custody and has been charged with murder. Her identity has not been released because of her age.
The devastating case has reignited alarm over how easily firearms and alcohol intersect with teens—often with fatal consequences. Gun safety advocates warn that accidental shootings involving children happen with frightening regularity in the U.S., turning split-second decisions into irreversible tragedies.
What was supposed to be a late-night hangout ended with a gunshot, a life lost, and multiple families changed forever.
Such a shame. Mine is Always on me.
Where are the protestors?
Hmm, seems if you point a weapon at someone and pull the trigger, that is no ‘accident’. A tragic mistake of thinking the gun was unloaded but it is not an accident. Not too sure why 2 15 year olds were not missed by their parents but kids sneak out and unmonitored use of these internet sites can obviously be dangerous if abused. If gun was secured, girls shouldn’t have even been able to access it. Left in a glove box is NOT secured as the glove box was apparently unlocked. No one ever thinks these things will happen to them…..