ROSWELL, Ga. -- The organization that was taking a special-needs group on a camping trip when a deadly accidental shooting happened last week, didn't have one of the licenses it needed, according to officials.
Authorities are now looking into the My Buddy & Me program.
Reg Griffin, spokesman with Bright From the Start, confirmed to 11Alive that they have opened an investigation into this program for not having a license or exemption. The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning doesn't have a record of the company.
The business is however, registered with the Secretary of State's Office as a domestic non-profit corporation. Gerald Brister is listed as CEO and secretary on the Georgia secretary of state's corporations division's website. Another person is listed as the company's CFO.
However, Bright From the Start "licenses child care centers and home-based child care, administers Georgia's Childcare and Parent Services program" and are responsible for other duties.
Police arrested Brister, 35, in the case.
On Tuesday, the group was in SUV in the parking lot of a Motorsports store on Upper Hembree Road when authorities said Brister went inside. One of the persons in the vehicle got hold of the gun underneath the seat and accidentally shot and killed Zachary Chambless, 17, of Dunwoody.
Brister waived his first appearance in court and was granted a $15,000 bond, $10,000 on involuntary manslaughter and $5,000 on reckless conduct. During the hearing, Brister's attorney stated his client was "devastated and distraught" over what happened.
The attorney also mentioned it appears that everyone in the SUV was 17 and older.
The My Buddy & Me program caters to teens and young adults in metro Atlanta with special needs, according to their now-deleted website. They "give parents a chance to recoup and regroup while providing healthy, fun environment for their teens and young adults."
