GBI calls Warrenton shooting ‘deliberate act with unintended result’

WARRENTON, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - One man is behind bars after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said he fired a gun at Old Warrenton Studios, an Old West village and film set in Warren County.

Jason Owens, a 25 year old, from Akron, Ohio, was arrested and charged with reckless conduct.

That victim was identified as 21 year old Jason Eckart from Marietta.

The shooting took place as part of an event hosted by the group Chernobyl MilSim or Military Simulation.

They are a live-action role-play group who does events simulating military situations from the video game “S.T.A.L.K.E.R.”

According to the GBI, they were on the property recording a YouTube video.

Agent Patrick Morgan, the special agent in charge at the GBI, said there were many weapons on the property and at least 20 participants.

Each participant was encouraged to bring their own weapons and any of them had rigged them up to shoot blanks.

Morgan said Owen, the one arrested, had live rounds in his weapon.

The incident took place before the event, recording or routine safety checks, leading GBI to believe this was not an accident.

“You know, at this point we are not calling this an accident. It was a deliberate act with an unintended result,” Morgan said.

News 12 reached out to the group for comment but we did not directly hear back.

However, they did release a statement on their Facebook page saying they do safety inspections in an attempt to keep this from happening.

Eckart that victim, has since been released from the hospital and returned to the event.

Owen, is being held in McDuffie County jail awaiting bond.

It is an ongoing investigation, and anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigations Region 7 office.

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