Alexa Berrong // Provided
Cody Alcorn, father of two with a third child on the way, was killed by a pellet gun on Aug. 12.
A father of two from Easley, South Carolina, was mysteriously shot and killed by a pellet gun air rifle on Aug. 12.
The decedent was identified as 26-year-old Ryan Douglas Bradford, according to a press release from the Pickens County Coroner’s Office.
The incident, which happened around 9:20 p.m., appeared to be an accidental injury. One wound was located on Bradford’s neck, according to WYFF.
The deputy coroner from the Pickens County Coroner’s Office stated that he had not seen anything like it, Fox Carolina reports. The deputy also said that death by a pellet gun is “not common,” and that Bradford’s injury “appears not to be self-inflicted.”
Bradford’s family has many questions about the incident amid the investigation.
“It’s shocking and very devastating. And there are so many questions going through your head. How could this happen? What happened? It’s just terrible,” Alexa Berrong, Bradford’s sister, told FOX Carolina in an interview.
Berrong also admitted that she is confused and devastated over her brother’s death and that the situation feels “fishy and weird.” She mentioned that her brother was not a confrontational person and she’d never seen him bear a pellet gun.
Bradford leaves behind a daughter and a son. He was also expecting a third child due in September, according to Fox Carolina. Local journalist Cody Alcorn’s Facebook post about Bradford’s death has received over 3,000 reactions and 491 shares.
Comments include notes such as “praying for justice to be served,” “the family of Ryan needs to hire a lawyer quickly” and “Easley Police Department Ryan’s will not stop seeking justice. He was so loved by many. Do your job please.”
Berrong said that Bradford “loved being a father and he was an excellent, excellent dad,” and mentioned that she “hopes a thorough investigation will be done.”
Bradford’s uncle, Daniel Risner, took to Alcorn’s Facebook thread to explain his frustrations as to why the man who shot the pellet rifle was not in custody, whether or not the incident was an accident. Risner said that the offender’s actions caused a death, and that answers will hopefully come soon.
Bradford’s autopsy is scheduled for Aug. 14, and no further information has been released yet. The Pickens County Coroner’s Office and Easley Police Department are spearheading the investigation.