MACON, Ga. — A man from Milledgeville has been charged in relation to the January 2025 shooting incident that resulted in the death of 30-year-old John Tennant at an apartment complex in downtown Macon. However, the charges do not include murder.
An indictment revealed that Tennant died after being struck by a bullet while allegedly engaged in a dance with a loaded gun. Ethan Nathaniel Cox is accused of shooting Tennant by accident during this incident at the Broadway Lofts on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones reported that Tennant was shot in the back on the night of January 25 and was quickly taken to a nearby hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Law enforcement officials indicated that Tennant resided in the same apartment complex where the shooting occurred. In previous statements to deputies, Cox claimed that Tennant handed him the loaded weapon before the gun discharged.
On Tuesday, just under a year after the tragic incident, a grand jury in Bibb County handed down an indictment against Cox, charging him with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct. Although the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office initially classified the shooting as accidental, new details from court records provide a deeper understanding of the events in question.
The indictment outlines allegations that Cox unintentionally fired the weapon while dancing, without any intention to harm Tennant. However, it emphasizes that Cox’s actions were reckless, indicating he failed to acknowledge the serious risk involved in handling a loaded firearm in such a manner.
According to the indictment, Cox “did unlawfully endanger the bodily safety of John Tennant by consciously disregarding a substantial and unjustifiable risk that his act of dancing with a loaded firearm would endanger the safety of said person.” This legal framing highlights the weight of responsibility individuals hold when handling firearms, even in seemingly light-hearted circumstances.
Under Georgia law, should Cox be convicted of involuntary manslaughter, he could face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. As the investigation continues, there has been no availability of a mugshot for Cox, as requested by local media outlets.
The community remains shaken by the incident, prompting discussions about firearm safety and accountability in the wake of this tragic event.