Georgia teen ‘accidentally’ shoots friend before killing self moments after showing off gun on Snapchat

'Something like this never happened before. It’s sad and tragic,' say local residents

Police have identified two teenagers who died on New Year’s Eve after one accidently shot the other on camera before killing himself.

The two Georgia teens can be seen playing with guns in a Snapchat video sent to their friends before one of the teenagers — a 15-year-old — shoots his 17-year-old friend, killing him.

The shooter, Devin Hodges, was with three other teenagers in the Lawrenceville “shed” before he accidentally and fatally shot Chad Carless, according to police.

“After multiple interviews with witnesses, detectives learned one of the males, Hodges, was showing the group a handgun when he accidentally fired a shot,” a release from the Gwinnett Police Department said.

“The shot struck his friend, Carless, sitting next to him in the cramped shed. Carless succumbed to his injuries before help could arrive,” the statement added.

The police release describes a chaotic scene that played out as police arrived.

“As officers were arriving on scene, Hodges was seen running between two homes, where he then took his own life with the handgun,” police said. “Our thoughts are with the families of both these young men”.

Police say they are investigating to determine where the boys got the guns, but an origin has yet to be found.

Neighbours told local media that they were struggling to grapple with the tragedy in in the sprawling county northeast of Atlanta.

“I mean, it was really sad. They were so young,” neighbour Tanya Gutierrez said. “Something like this never happened before. It’s sad and tragic”.