Mississippi teen's 'bad decision' cost him his life just days after graduation, mom says, as mourning family demands answers

By JOE HUTCHISON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 06:40, 4 July 2026 | Updated: 06:43, 4 July 2026 A Mississippi teenager drank himself to death while on a celebration trip just days after he graduated from high school.  Shannon Tanner, 19, died on May 20, only five days after graduating from Columbia Academy while on a trip in Bay County, Florida, with his friends. According to an incident report filed by Bay County Sheriff's Office, seen by Panama City News Herald, deputies were called to a life-threatening medical emergency.  After arriving on the scene, a person on the property told an investigator that Tanner had 'alcohol poisoning' and was 'drinking too much', the report said.  The investigator said in the report: 'I asked the people standing around if they knew what was going on, and they similarly stated "drinking a lot".' His mother Linda Thompson has since said that her son sent her pictures just two hours before he was rushed to hospital.  She told WDAM: 'He sent me pictures at 7:30 Sunday night, and I believe the EMT call was recorded around 9:40 that night, and we just don't understand, you know, how that happened so quickly.' After being rushed to hospital, Tanner was removed from life support and pronounced dead on May 20.  Shannon Tanner, 19, died on May 20, just five days after graduating from Columbia Academy while on a trip to Bay County His mother Linda Thompson, seen here with her son, has since revealed said that her son sent her pictures just two hours before he was rushed to hospital Officials believe that he died as a result of alcohol poisoning, but an official cause of death is still being investigated.   Thompson added: 'Unfortunately, he made a bad decision, and if he was here today, he would own up to it.' 'Some people lose loved ones in accidents, and they know what happened. I wake up every morning. I’m like: "This is real".' His family are still awaiting answers, saying they do not know what happened prior to him being taken to hospital or who supplied him with alcohol. Tanner's sister Anna added: 'The hospital and the police had to be the ones to contact us. How do you let someone’s kid go in an ambulance and not do anything?' Remembering her brother, she said: 'He was definitely not an ordinary kid. Anyone that came across him, they could tell he was full of life.'  A GoFundMe has since been launched to help his family since his passing, which has so far raised over $18,000.  A post to the fundraiser said: 'The funds raised through this campaign will be used to cover Shannon's funeral expenses and help ease the financial strain on his family during this difficult time.'  Tanner's sister Anna, left, and his mother Linda, right, are pictured here speaking with WDAm Officials believe that he died as a result from alcohol poisoning but an official cause of death is still being investigated An obituary for the teenager said: 'Shannon had proudly signed to join the United States Air Force and was looking forward to serving his country with honor and dedication.  'He enjoyed attending church with family and friends and called Pathway Church in Mobile his home church.  'Shannon greatly enjoyed his job as a Waffle House “Rockstar,” where his outgoing personality and kind spirit touched countless lives.  'Larger than life, he never met a stranger and had a special way of making everyone around him feel important.  'He was a loving son, brother, fun uncle, grandson, cousin and devoted friend. At a young age, Shannon made the selfless decision to become an organ donor.  'His family honored those wishes, and through his final gift, his life and legacy will continue to touch and bless others for years to come.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.