Indiana Teenager Who Fatally Shot Friend Claims He Mistook Pistol For Airsoft Gun, According To Police
An Indiana man claimed he thought he had an airsoft gun and not a deadly firearm when he allegedly shot a teenager to death, according to authorities.
Shortly before 10 p.m. on Nov. 26, police responding to a shooting call at a residence in Hope found 18-year-old Jesse Bragg suffering a gunshot wound to the chest, WTHR reported.
Bragg died from his injuries at the scene, where officers said there allegedly was alcohol and marijuana present, state court documents obtained by the station.
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Police took Joseph Kidwell, 18, into custody and during questioning he allegedly told a Bartholomew County Sheriff's Office detectives he shot Bragg once in the chest with what he believed to be an airsoft pistol, a toy gun that shoots non-lethal plastic bbs, the documents show.
Witnesses to the deadly shooting told police Kidwell allegedly grabbed and racked the firearm that killed Bragg and pointed it at his chest and fired.
Kidwell faces a reckless homicide charge.
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