The shooting death of a 62-year-old farmer in South Carolina has resulted in an 8-year-old and 9-year-old being faced with involuntary manslaughter charges.
Danny Andrew Smith's wife enlisted the support of law enforcement to help find her husband when he didn't return home. Smith was discovered dead on his tractor after reportedly crashing into a tree shortly after sustaining a .22 caliber gunshot wound to his back. After its investigation, Oconee County Sheriff's Office filed a petition in family court to have the unidentified children charged in Smith's death.
"After a consultation with the Solicitor's Office, and based on the evidence obtained in our ongoing investigation, we believe that both juvenile males discharged a firearm in a reckless manner in the direction of Mr. Smith who was bush hogging on some family property," said Oconee County Sheriff, Mike Crenshaw.
Police recovered a rifle that they say is the weapon used to kill the 62-year-old. Crenshaw added that it's still "undetermined" which shot killed Smith. The two boys are currently in the custody of their parents due to South Carolina's law forbidding children under 10 to be detained.
