Fla. man charged after fatal shooting of twin brother during horseplay
A Florida man was joking around with a handgun earlier this week when the weapon accidentally fired and killed his twin brother, according to reports.
Police arrested 23-year-old Thomas Parkinson-Freeman and charged him with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of his sibling, Mathias, Pinellas County police said.
Parkinson-Freeman was released from jail Monday on a $30,000 bond, The Associated Press reports.
The incident happened Sunday night as the brothers were horsing around with a mutual friend inside a parked SUV at their home in Gulfport, just west of downtown St. Petersburg.
Mathias allegedly drew his handgun first and pointed it at his brother Thomas, who then pulled his own gun, which fired and struck Mathias in the face, investigators said.
Thomas tried to save his brother and immediately began first aid after the shooting, police said.
He later told authorities that he didn’t intend to pull the trigger and couldn’t remember doing so.
Investigators concluded that there was no intent to commit murder and that the victim died because of culpable negligence, The Associated Press reports.
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ArLuther Lee is a visual editor and occasionally covers national and world news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from The University of Florida and has been a journalist for more than 25 years.
