Fatal Shooting Was an Accident, Ex-Deputy Says

Leslie Boileau told Florida police that he and his girlfriend were "handling and dry-firing"—pulling the trigger on a gun that doesn't have ammunition—their weapons at home after dinner when one went off. She was shot in the head, NBC News reports. Ocala police said they arrived to find the woman with a handgun in her lap and a rifle nearby after Boileau called 911 to say he'd accidentally shot her. The former sheriff's deputy was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

An arrest affidavit says Boileau reported his girlfriend had asked him to teach her how to use a gun as they were cleaning the firearms. "While demonstrating the use of a rifle, Boileau accidentally discharged a loaded round, causing the fatal incident," police said. Physical evidence backed up that account, they said. According to the arrest report, Boileau told officers he knew, given his former job, that pointing a rifle at someone is wrong, per WCJB. "I know this looks really bad," the report quotes him as telling officers. (More fatal shooting stories.)