Blake Miller, age 18, was charged today in connection with a March 12 unintended gun violence incident that allegedly occurred while Miller was showing his family’s .22 caliber rifle to his friends.  The boys had had a few beers at the time of the incident.

According to the report, Miller, of Omaha, Nebraska, pointed the gun at his friend 18-year old Tanner Farrell and pulled the trigger, apparently believing that the gun was not loaded. The prosecuting attorney said, “[t]here are certainly cases where somebody accidentally kills someone. Maybe a hunting accident where somebody trips and falls and the gun goes off. That might be considered an accident. This is so reckless in nature by pointing the gun at an individual, pulling the trigger that fits the definition of manslaughter. … It’s a tragic incident. These people were all friends.”

The authorities are investigating where the boys got the alcohol, but apparently not how Miller had unsupervised access to the rifle.

Source:

Jake Anderson, Michelle Bandur, “’It’s a Tragic Incident’: Omaha Teen Charged with Manslaughter in Fatal Shooting of Ralston Baseball Player,” ketv.com (March 16, 2022).