Accidents claim lives of 2 students in Baldwin County

Billy Hobbs, The Union-Recorder, Milledgeville, Ga.
·2 min read

Mar. 5—Separate accidents in recent days claimed the lives of two students in the Baldwin County public school district, The Union-Recorder has learned.

A 10-year-old boy was shot in the head with a pellet rifle at a residence on Waller Street in Milledgeville on Sunday, Feb. 20. Another accident, meanwhile, involved an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and resulted in the death of a 14-year-old on Wednesday, Feb. 25.

Authorities identified the boy shot by the pellet rifle as Charlie Patton, a fourth-grader at Midway Hills Academy in Milledgeville.

Patton reportedly was playing with other children, some older, at the time of the shooting.

The victim was treated at the scene by firefighters/first responders with Baldwin County Fire Rescue and personnel with Grady Emergency Medical Services. He was flown by a medical helicopter to The Children's Hospital of Atlanta where he later died.

An investigation by the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office led to the arrest of Jamarius Walls, 17, of Milledgeville in connection to the shooting. Walls has been charged with felony involuntary manslaughter and was taken to the Baldwin County Law Enforcement Center and jailed.

Funeral services for Patton are set for 6 p.m. Thursday at Celebration of Life Memorial funeral home in Gray.

In an unrelated accident, Scottie Cooler, of Milledgeville, 14, an eighth-grader at Oak Hill Middle School in Milledgeville, was killed while on an ATV.

The accident occurred shortly before 6 p.m. on Feb. 23.

Sgt. Steven Stone of the Georgia State Patrol post in Milledgeville said in his report that Cooler lost control of a 2016 Arctic Cat 150 ATV, just east of Fairview Road. The teen was riding on property owned by his family.

"The driver was thrown from the ATV and hit his head on the paved portion of Fairview Road," Stone said.

Cooler was treated at the scene by firefighters/first responders with Baldwin County Fire Rescue and personnel with Grady Emergency Medical Services. He later was taken by ambulance to the emergency department of Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin hospital in Milledgeville.

The teen died two days later.

The investigating state trooper said Cooler was not wearing a helmet or protective riding gear.

The family will hold visitation services at 10 a.m. Saturday in the chapel of Williams Funeral Home in Milledgeville. Funeral services will follow at noon.