Police: Man Fatally Shot His Brother By Accident
By DAVID OWENS | The Hartford Courant
WATERBURY — - A Southbury man accidentally shot his brother in the back of the head Monday, killing him, while fooling around with a .22-caliber pistol, according to an arrest warrant.
Charged with first-degree manslaughter with a firearm, Stephen Throckmorton was arraigned Wednesday at Superior Court. Bail was set at $250,000.
Police said that Throckmorton, 19, was standing behind his brother, Ronald Throckmorton, 21, about 1 p.m. while Ronald stood in the kitchen of the family's Southbury home cooking himself a cheeseburger. Stephen Throckmorton was playing with a pistol, the warrant said.
Ronald's girlfriend, Patricia Maloney, told detectives that Stephen aimed the pistol at the back of his brother's head and jokingly said, "Safety's off." He then said, "I always do this," Maloney told the detectives. The gun then fired, according to the warrant, and Ronald Throckmorton fell to the floor.
"There was no argument between Steve and Ron before this happened and I really just thought it was a joke until Steve screamed," the warrant says that Maloney told police.
Stephen Thockmorton was screaming and crying, saying that he wanted to call his mother and that he was going to kill himself, according to the warrant. He then left. When police arrived at the Southbury home, they found Ronald Throckmorton on the floor.
Stephen Throckmorton was spotted driving on Route 341 in Warren about 2 p.m. Troopers pursued him a short distance by car, and then Throckmorton pulled into a driveway, got out of his car and ran into the woods. A nearby elementary school was locked down on Monday and schools in Warren, Morris and Goshen remained closed Tuesday because Throckmorton was believed to be armed and still at large. He was arrested Tuesday about 9 a.m. at a residence in Warren.
After police found him, Stephen Throckmorton said the shooting was an accident, according to the warrant.
http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-brokill1120.artnov20,0,727915.story
Dumbass.