ATHENS, Tenn. (AP, abc24.com) - An exploding gun at a New Year's celebration killed a McMinn County man who was hit by a piece of flying shrapnel.
Police say 48-year-old Jeffrey Watson of Calhoun was celebrating the New Year around midnight at his home with friends. McMinn County Sheriff Joe Guy told WBIR-TV in Knoxville that another man was firing a 12-guage shotgun into the woods Saturday night when the gun exploded. Guy says Watson was apparently standing nearby and was hit in the neck by a piece of metal.
Watson was taken to Athens Regional Medical Center, where he later died.
Police don't know why the gun malfunctioned. No one has been charged in the incident.
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Information from: WBIR-TV,
http://www.wbir.com/
