Vegas man claims fatal shooting was an 'accident,' paranoid the victim was a cop: report

Moments after fatally shooting the victim, a Las Vegas man said, “I swear to god it was an accident,” according to a report.

But, police have now charged him with murder.

On Oct. 24, officers were called to a home and found 50-year-old Timothy Shaefer with a gunshot in the pelvis, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department stated.

Shaefer was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

There were no specifics about what led up to the shooting in the arrest report, but police said 33-year-old Jonathan Maynes and two others were at Shaefer’s home when the shooting occurred, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

One witness stated that Maynes said, “I swear to god it was an accident,” after the gunshots, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. According to another witness, Maynes “was paranoid that Shaefer was a cop and was questioning him.”

Police received a tip that Maynes was involved in Shaefer’s murder and they started to investigate. During that investigation, police said Maynes was arrested on an unrelated robbery charge.

When questioned, Maynes told police another man, Maruqece Knickerbocker, was the one who shot Shaefer, but other witnesses stated it was Maynes as the gunman.

Maynes has since been charged with open murder for the killing of Shaefer, police said.