Jayviontae JoJo Cox, 14, was killed at his East Cherry Street home in Evansville on the afternoon of September 4, 2025, when a friend handling a handgun believed to be unloaded pulled the trigger. First responders found Cox mortally wounded and he was pronounced dead at the scene. He was described as an outgoing high school freshman who loved basketball and football and hoped to become a musician.

A juvenile who pulled the trigger was arrested and charged preliminarily with reckless homicide and dangerous possession of a firearm; investigators said the teen and his parents cooperated. Days later authorities arrested 36-year-old Rachel Banks after tracing the handgun to her; she faces charges including reckless homicide, dangerous control of a firearm, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and was also alleged to have helped her son buy marijuana.

What details about the afternoon or the weapon have been released that might help explain how an allegedly unloaded gun was fired?