A teenager fatally shot his friend with an air rifle at a house party after mistaking the trigger for the safety catch, an inquest has been told. Connor Bell, 17, died two days after being hit by a pellet fired by Jack Beechy at a gathering in Chineham, near Basingstoke, on November 8, 2025. The pellet entered Bell's right eye socket, causing an "unsurvivable" brain injury and cardiac arrest.

Coroner Jason Pegg recorded a conclusion of accidental death, stating it was exacerbated by a lack of weapons-handling skills. The inquest heard that Joshua Brown, whose parents owned the air rifle, had agreed to keep it locked away. However, more friends arrived than anticipated, and the group consumed alcohol.

Brown took out the .177 calibre air rifle, and it was used to shoot at bottles in the garden from a conservatory. Beechy, who was described as "a little bit drunk," said Brown asked him to put the rifle away. Beechy then fired off the remaining pellets from the conservatory, believing the gun was empty and that this would be safer. As he walked into the kitchen with Bell nearby, he mistakenly fired the rifle.

"I tried to put the safety on but it was the wrong trigger," Beechy told the inquest. "The safety is directly in front of the trigger."

Brown stated that Beechy ran into the lounge and exclaimed, "I shot Bell."

Pegg noted that the planned small gathering had escalated into "more of a house party" with "copious amounts of alcohol." He expressed satisfaction that Brown, who had been shown how to use the rifle by his father, had instructed his friends on its operation, including the safety catch. The coroner described the incident as "a deeply tragic case" and highlighted a "real risk and a degree of inevitability" of an accident among young, intoxicated individuals.

Hampshire police had arrested an 18-year-old, formerly of Tadley, on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent. Following discussions with the Crown Prosecution Service and Bell's family, no further action will be taken.

In a statement, Bell's family remembered him as "a much-loved boy, who was very sporty and had a large circle of friends." They noted that CPR performed by his friends at the scene enabled him to become an organ donor. His father, Robert Bell, recalled his son's humor and recalled that he "never took himself too seriously." The family urged the public to be aware of the dangers of air rifles and emphasized the importance of safe storage and proper training.