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A Rice Consolidated High School student died Friday evening, April 11, in an accidental shooting at his home in Eagle Lake.
Josiah Cobia, 18, was shot accidentally after a gun in the possession of his younger brother, who has not been identified due to being a minor, was discharged around 5 p.m. that night, leading to Cobia succumbing to his wounds, according to Eagle Lake Police Chief Donald T. Chaney.
The shooting was an accidental discharge that occurred in the brothers’ bedroom of the home located on 670 Donovan St. in Eagle Lake. The firearm was discharged while the younger brother was showing the gun to Cobia.
Chaney says the shooting was completely accidental, according to witness testimony from the family, and that there will most likely be no charges given out for Cobia’s death. He does note, however, that there will most likely be an investigation into how the brothers got hold of the gun, as the mother of the boys was unaware that the firearm was in their possession.
“It was an accident, and accidents happen,” said Chaney. “You have kids that get a hold of guns and unfortunately neither of them had any business with it, but that’s something we’re going to look into, as far as a different investigation of how they got a hold of it.”
At this time, details are unclear as to whether the gun fell and accidentally went off or was discharged in a different fashion. More details to come as the investigation into Cobia’s death and how the gun was in the possession of his brother progresses.
This is the second student Rice Consolidated High School has tragically lost in recent weeks following the unexpected death of Zaiden Hernandez, who was also related to Cobia. One of the school’s teachers, Alesia Woolridge, said it has rocked the school.
“Our school is small, so everybody knows everybody. We were trying to catch our breath after Zaiden, and now Josiah,” said Woolridge. “We’re on our knees at this point. It’s tough.”
According to Rice Consolidated High School Superintendent Kenny Center, the district has provided counseling support to students and staff, including all district counselors, counselors from Columbus ISD, counselors from the Special Education Cooperative, counseling support from Texana, as well as support from local community resources. This provides an outlet for both students and staff to navigate through this hard time and process their emotions.
“We will provide this support for as long as is needed for our students as we want to make sure that their mental health is taken care of,” said Center.
The public viewing for Hernandez is set for Friday, April 18, from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Eagle Lake Funeral Home. The funeral service will be held on Saturday, April 19, at 11 a.m. at the Eagle Lake Funeral Home located on 607 N McCarty Ave, Eagle Lake, 77434.
No information has been released as of press time regarding a public viewing or funeral service for Cobia.
Evan Hale contributed to this report.
