An Oklahoma man has been charged with first-degree manslaughter after authorities say a stray bullet fired from a gun he bought as a Christmas present struck and killed a neighbour sitting on her porch several blocks away.
Sandra Phelps was sitting outside the front of her home on Christmas Day, holding a child, when she was fatally shot, according to a Stephens County sheriff’s affidavit.
Witnesses told officers that Ms Phelps commented on the sound of gunshots, said “ouch”, and then collapsed.
Cody Wayne Adams, 33, was charged and booked into jail on 26 December, but was later released on a $100,000 (£74,000) bond, according to court records.
He told authorities he had recently bought himself a Glock .45-calibre handgun and had been shooting at a drink can in his backyard, approximately half a mile (0.8 km) from where Ms Phelps was sitting.
Deputies informed Mr Adams that they suspected he had shot Ms Phelps, and he “became visibly upset and began to cry”, Stephens County Sheriff’s Captain Timothy Vann wrote in the affidavit.
Ms Phelps was hit in the upper right arm, and the bullet entered her chest cavity. According to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, the child was being held in her left arm.
She was pronounced dead about 20 minutes after deputies received the call about the shooting.
Capt Vann alleged in the affadavit that Mr Adams was “shooting towards the ground in his backyard that there was nothing behind his property to stop any bullets from traveling beyond his property and hurting someone”.
Under Oklahoma law, first-degree manslaughter is defined as a homicide that occurs when perpetrated without a “design to effect death” while a person is engaged in the commission of a misdemeanor.
According to charging documents, the misdemeanor in this case is alleged to be engaging in conduct with a firearm that demonstrated a “conscious disregard for the safety of others”.
First-degree manslaughter is punishable by up to life in prison.
Mr Adams is set to appear in court on 25 February and was ordered not to contact the victim’s family.
By BBC News
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