Man Convicted Of Manslaughter For Fatally Shooting Teen At 2024 Cottage Hill Party

February 20, 2026

A Cantonment man has been convicted of manslaughter for the April 2024 fatal shooting of a 16-year-old at a party at a Cottage Hill home. He was also convicted of evidence tampering as a two-day trial concluded on Friday.

Ethan Alexander O’Brien, 21, will be sentenced on April 16.

The investigation determined that during a large gathering at the residence, O’Brien, then 19, was showing off his firearm, at which time it discharged, hitting 16-year-old Bryson Allen (pictured below).

The incident happened about 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 12, 2024, at a home in the 600 block of Wishbone Road.

The victim grabbed his side after being shot and said, “You just shot me bro” before falling to the ground, a witness told law enforcement. He said O’Brien had an “AR style” rifle and he was playing with it before the shooting.

Allen was pronounced deceased at the scene, and investigators said O’Brien fled the scene. The weapon was never found.

Pictured top: The scene on Wishbone Road in Cottage Hill late Friday night, April 12, 2024, after a teen was shot and killed. Pictured below: Crime scene tape still surrounded the home the following morning.  NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under TOP STORIES