Teenager, 17, died after he was accidentally shot in the head with an air rifle by his friend at a house party as he tried to put the safety on, inquest hears
Connor Bell, 17, died after being accidentally shot in the head with an air rifle at a house party in Basingstoke. An inquest heard his friend Jack Beechey mistook the trigger for the safety catch while trying to make the rifle safe; the coroner concluded that Connor’s death was accidental and that a lack of weapons-handling skills contributed.
The party took place on 8 November 2025, and the teenagers had been drinking alcohol. The .177 calibre rifle had been in the household for three weeks and was meant to remain locked away; it was taken out and used to shoot at garden targets. A pellet entered Connor’s head through his right eye socket, causing a fatal brain injury; he died in hospital two days later. His family said friends’ CPR helped make organ donation possible.
- Connor Bell, 17, died after an accidental air rifle shooting at a party.
- The inquest cited poor weapons-handling skills as a contributing factor.
- His friends’ CPR helped make organ donation possible.
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An air rifle uses compressed air to fire a small pellet and can cause fatal injuries, even though it is not a conventional firearm. In England, air weapons are subject to legal controls, including rules on who may use them and how they must be stored.
The inquest concerned teenagers at a house party in Basingstoke, where an air rifle kept in the household was taken out and used. Connor Bell and his friend Jack Beechey were both 17, and alcohol had been consumed. The coroner examined how the rifle was handled and the circumstances of Connor’s death.