Teen killed, man in jail after accidental shooting at party in Concord

CONCORD, N.C. (WBTV) - One man was killed and another arrested after what police are calling an accidental shooting in Concord early Monday morning.

The incident happened just after 3 a.m. at a home on Brooknell Ct. NW. Officers were called to the residence after a man, identified 18-year-old Michael Stephens, was shot in an upstairs bedroom.

Stephens was rushed to the Emergency Room by others in the home after the shooting, but died a short time later.

Stephens mother told WBTV that “my son was a talented, sweet, funny and caring young man who will be loved and missed more than words can say.”

Investigators say 24-year-old Brian Eric Waddell told them that he and friends were in the upstairs bedroom with the firearm when it accidentally discharged and struck Stephens.

Waddell was subsequently charged with involuntary manslaughter and taken to the Cabarrus County Jail where he is being held under a $50,000 bond.

Stephens was a senior at Jay M. Robinson High School in Concord. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Cabarrus Schools said that “our school counseling team was on site at the school this morning prepared and ready to offer support to students who were struggling with this loss.”

The investigation is ongoing, according to police.

Anyone with further information about the case is asked to call the Concord Police Department at 704-920-5000 or Cabarrus County Crime Stoppers at 704-93-CRIME.

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