Seventeen-year-old Micheal Mays was killed in Hawkinsville, Georgia on June 6, 2016. According to investigators, Mays was at a Franklin Street home where a group of young men were handling a handgun; the weapon discharged unintentionally and struck Mays. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the probe and its findings led to the arrest on June 20, 2016, of 17-year-old Lance Eric Pitts of Hawkinsville. Pitts was charged with involuntary manslaughter, pointing or aiming a gun at another, and reckless conduct; authorities said they did not believe the shooting was intentional.

Mays was a student at Hawkinsville High School. A celebration of life was held for him on June 14, 2016, at Springfield Baptist Church, and he was buried at Rosehill Cemetery. Questions remain about who was handling the firearm immediately before the discharge and about the exact sequence of events that led to the fatal shot. If anyone was present that day or has information about what happened at the Franklin Street residence, please come forward.