| Name |
Oliver Howard May [1, 2] |
| Birth |
13 May 1938 |
Missouri  [1] |
| Gender |
Male |
 Informant -- Death Certificate |
May 1954 |
Rockaway Beach, Taney County, Missouri [1] |
| Perry May |
| Death |
8 May 1954 |
Ozark Beach, Taney County, Missouri [1, 2] |
| News Article |
9 May 1954 |
Springfield, Greene County, Missouri [2] |
| News-Leader |
Deadly Came Fatal to Boy
15-Year Old Plays 'Russian Roullette'
FORSYTH, May 8 (Special) - A game of "Russian roulette" with a .22 pistol proved fatal to an [sic] 15-year-old boy here today.
Oliver May, son of Mr. and Mrs. Perry May of near Rockaway Beach, died instantly from a chest gunshot wound, apparently self-inflicted, about 1:30 p.m. at Ozark Beach, near Powersite Dam on White River.
According to Waller Cobb of Forsyth Funeral Home, where the body was taken, young May was playing a deadly game with Rex Johnson, a companion about the same age.
In "Russian roulette" a cartridge is placed in an empty pistol chamber and the chamber is spun. Then the player points the weapon at himself and pulls the trigger.
Cohb said the victim, who apparently hadn't owned the pistol more than few hours, already had pulled the trigger once without incident before the fatal shot came.
The shooting occurred on the beach near the water, he said, and few people were nearby at the time.
Taney County Sheriff Theron Gideon and State Trooper Wayne Ferguson investigated. Cobb said he hasn't been notified whether an inquest will be called.
Funeral arrangements are incomplete.
|
| Burial |
10 May 1954 |
Kissee Mills Cemetery, Kissee Mills, Taney County, Missouri [1] |
| Person ID |
I1688 |
CCBasic |
| Last Modified |
3 Jul 2023 |
1938 - 1954 (15 years)