In Texarkana Arkansas, Kayden May was charged with manslaughter after the shooting death of his girlfriend Abbigale Thacker in their home.  Both May and Thacker were 18-year olds.

May’s charge was reduced from second-degree murder to manslaughter after authorities concluded that Thacker’s death resulted from an “extreme case of gun safety violations.”  A Texarkana police officer had earlier said, “police do not classify what happened as an accident” and pointed to a state statute which says “an individual commits second-degree murder when they ‘knowingly cause the death of another person under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.’”

Even after the reduction in charge, police declined to elaborate on the circumstances of the incident.  “It’s nothing short of two individuals whose lives were completely changed,” the Officer said. “One is no longer here. It’s very sad.”

Source:

Nyssa Kruse, “Arkansas Teen Charged in Girlfriend’s Death; ‘Extreme Case’ of Gun Safety Violations, Police Say,” Arkansas Democrat Gazette (February 21, 2020).