Eason Reid Gravley, 17, shot at the sign as a prank but a stray bullet ended killing a man nearby
HODGES, South Carolina — A teenager who fired shots at a street sign as a prank has been charged with manslaughter after a bullet fatally struck a retired Marine Corps veteran sitting on his porch hundreds of feet away.
Eason Reid Gravley, 17, turned himself in to cops five days after firing the fatal shot in Hodges, South Carolina that passed through the sign, travelled through a wooded area and struck the unsuspecting vet in the chest.
When officers arrived at 48-year-old Joe Darius Black, Jr.’s home on Oct. 10, they found his family frantically performing CPR, but but unfortunately the retired major didn’t make it. He had served more than 20 years in the Marines, authorities said.
Joe Darius Black
He is survived by his wife and four children, who were in the house when he was shot. Authorities said the family had just recently moved in to the home.
Early on, police determined that the fatal shot had been fired by someone taking aim at the nearby sign and had offered a reward for any information leading to an arrest.
Gravley, who lives just two miles from the site of the shooting, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and possession of a handgun. Cops say he had gotten out of his car and fired several shots with a Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun at the sign.
He has been released on $25,000 bond and the judge ordered all firearms be removed from his home and that he keep to a strict curfew. Gravely faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
