Detectives from the Robbery/Homicide unit of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office are investigating what they are calling an accidental shooting incident in Seminole.
On October 3, 2023, at around 12:23 a.m., deputies received a call regarding a person suffering from a gunshot wound at the Seminole Community Center, located at 7464 Ridge Road in Seminole.
Upon investigation, it was determined that the victim and two individuals, 20-year-old Hayden Fogerty and 17-year-old Caidyn Knuth, were at the location where they reportedly used marijuana. Detectives established that Fogerty possessed a firearm and, while handling it, discharged it accidentally, resulting in one gunshot wound to the victim’s face.
During subsequent interviews with detectives, Fogerty and Knuth admitted to attempting to hide the firearm and the shell casing by discarding them in a nearby pond.
The victim was promptly transported to the hospital and is reported to be in stable condition.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team was dispatched to retrieve the firearm from the pond.
Fogerty has been charged with one count of Tampering with Physical Evidence and taken into custody at the Pinellas County Jail.
Knuth, on the other hand, faces one count of Tampering with Physical Evidence and has been placed under the Pinellas County Juvenile Assessment Center (PJAC) custody.
The investigation into this incident remains ongoing.