Special to the News

Suwannee County was shaken by the deaths of two teens in separate incidents last weekend. Dead are Matthew Welsh, 17, a junior at Suwannee High School (SHS), and David Jeffrey Nelson, 16, a sophomore. Their stories follow.

Matthew Welsh killed

in shooting incident

Live Oak teenager Matthew Welsh died Jan. 13 in an apparent accidental shooting, according to the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO).

Welsh, 17, a junior at Suwannee High School, died from a gunshot wound to the head, the SCSO said. Reports indicate he was at a friend’s house and the two began to engage in horseplay, during which the .22 caliber rifle they thought was not loaded discharged.

The friend and his father took Welsh to the emergency room at Shands Live Oak where he was pronounced dead, the SCSO said.

The friend originally said he was not with Welsh when he was shot, according to SCSO officials. They said the boy told them he heard a gunshot and entered a bedroom and found Welsh wounded.

However, the medical examiner’s report indicated it was unlikely Welsh could have fired the gun, the SCSO said. Under questioning, the boy later admitted he and Welsh had been playing around when the gun discharged, according to the SCSO. He told them Welsh playfully poked him with the gun, and when he grabbed it, he accidentally touched the trigger.

The boy told SCSO he “stood there shaking” as Welsh fell to the floor. He said he originally told his father the same story he told investigators.

At press time it had not been determined whether a grand jury would be convened to hear the case.

David Jeffrey Nelson

dies in hit and run

A Suwannee High sophomore was killed early Jan. 13 when struck by a passing motorist on CR 137 near Wellborn. David Jeffrey Nelson, 16, was walking along the northbound lane when he was struck by what authorities say may have been a tractor-trailer. The vehicle that struck Nelson fled the scene, according to a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) report. Authorities were notified at 3:35 a.m. A passerby stopped to render assistance but saw immediately that Nelson was already dead, the report said.

Law enforcement authorities said Nelson had been riding with others on the way home, but asked to be let out in Wellborn and started to walk northward toward his home. Nelson began walking north on CR 137, Sheriff Tony Cameron said. Later, about a half-mile south of Interstate 10, he was struck and killed.

The FHP said it has no leads and needs your help in solving the case. Anyone with relevant information should call Lt. Mike Burroughs of the FHP at 352-284-1464, anytime, day or night.

Robert Bridges can be reached by calling 386-362-1734 ext. 134 or by e-mail at robert.bridges@gaflnews.com.