Joseph Wesley Hoffman, 34, of Morgan County, was killed in mid-November 2016 in what authorities described as a hunting accident near the Eatonton and Monticello area of Jasper County. While the group was preparing for the hunt, Hoffman and another hunter were retrieving firearms from opposite ends of a four-door pickup truck when one of the guns discharged and struck Hoffman.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was reported to be handling the matter, and coverage described the firearm as discharging accidentally during unloading or removal from the truck. No arrest, charge, trial, or conviction is mentioned in the available reports.

If anyone was with Hoffman that day or has information about the scene on Highway 16, please share what is known.