Tragic gun accident in Largo

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Pinellas County deputies say a 19-year-old man died after a handgun went off unexpectedly early Thursday morning.

It happened at a home on Phyllis Avenue in Largo.

According to the sheriff's office, Jeremy McCroskey thought he was playing with an unloaded 9-mm, semi-automatic handgun because there was no magazine in the gun. But there was one bullet left in the chamber.

McCroskey was transported to Largo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Deputies say there were three friends of the victim and an 8-year-old, who was asleep at the time, were in the home at the time of the shooting. Witnesses say the the gun belonged to one of the residents.

The preliminary investigation indicates the incident was an accident, but deputies say they will continue to look into the matter.

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