MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Miami Beach police arrested a 27-year-old man Monday, accused of accidentally fatally shooting his friend while cleaning his handgun.
Derek Jacob faces a charge of manslaughter.
Recommended Videos
Police said Jacob called 911 and reported the shooting. When officers arrived just just after 2 a.m. at the apartment in the 300 block of Michigan Avenue, they found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.
"It was an accident; I did not know it was loaded," Jacob told officers on the scene, police said.
The victim who was alert when the officers arrived told them several times that Jacob had shot him by accident while cleaning his gun, police said.
The victim was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he died of his injuries.
Ernesto Rodriquez, a spokesman for the Miami Beach Police Department, said incident like these are 100 percent preventable.
"An important reminder for all who handle a firearm is to always assume the firearm is loaded and to keep their finger off the trigger," Rodriquez said.