An 11-year-old boy who was known for loving the outdoors and having “a heart of gold” died after an apparent hunting accident, family members reported.
Gauge Chancellor was shot in the head with a .22 rifle by his 12-year-old sister while she was trying to shoot a rabbit just after 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to official reports. Their 19-year-old stepbrother was with them at the time at their grandmother’s house on Alex Knight Road in Ovett.
“Sweet Baby Gauge’s heart was made out of pure gold,” said cousin Mary Ellen Parker DuBose, who has set up a special account for the family at Community Bank. “He was a genuine outdoorsman, but fishing was his favorite. He never met a stranger and had a smile that could make the biggest Grinch melt. He was so very loved and will be missed tremendously.”
That heart and other organs can now help give life to other children with medical needs and give the gift of life during the Christmas season after Gauge’s family made the decision to donate them.
“The incredible act of generosity and love was to donate his organs,” said Lance Chancellor of the Jones County Sheriff’s Department, who is no relation to the deceased. “No telling how many lives could be saved and outcomes for those waiting for a transplant changed for the better.”
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks was the primary investigating agency and the JCSD assisted. It appeared that the young hunters were shining a light on a rabbit when young Gauge knelt down and handed the rifle to his sister behind him so she could shoot it. But she apparently didn’t fire right away, and he stood up just as she pulled the trigger.
The incident appears to be “a tragic accident,” sources close to the investigation said. MDWFP officials have not responded to a request for information but did confirm the death to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.
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