4-Year-Old Boy Fatally Shot in Statesboro Apartment; Investigation Ongoing

On Thursday, May 29, 2025, at approximately 5:46 p.m., Statesboro Police Department patrol officers and EMS responded to an apartment in The Hamptons on Rucker Lane following reports of a child suffering a gunshot wound.

Officers arrived and immediately provided aid to the four-year-old male child before transferring him to Bulloch EMS for transport to East Georgia Regional Medical Center. Despite medical efforts, the child died at the hospital.

An autopsy is pending at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Coastal Crime Lab.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for the apartment and conducted interviews with the occupants and family members. Preliminary evidence indicates the child accessed an unsecured firearm and accidentally discharged it, causing the fatal injury.

The case remains under investigation and will be referred to the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office upon completion.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Senior Detective Eric Short at 912-764-9911 or submit an anonymous tip through the Statesboro Police Department website.