A Bloomington man arrested on a reckless homicide charge Tuesday told police he had not believed the rifle with which he shot his friend was loaded.
Malik Parker, 21, allegedly shot 18-year-old Anthony Andrews in the neck with a .22 caliber rifle while the two hung out at Andrews’s home.
Bloomington Police Sgt. Dana Cole said the shooting occurred in the downstairs bedroom of the house on the 2500 block of South Camden Drive. Parker and Andrews had been smoking shatter, a potent drug with high THC content. A 17-year-old juvenile was also present.
Andrews and Parker sat on the bed, as did the rifle, Cole said. Parker saw the gun on the bed, picked it up, commented on its heaviness and noticed it had a magazine. He did not check to see if the gun was loaded or ask if it was loaded, and he later told detectives he didn’t think it was loaded. The juvenile, who was also in the room, told police his back was turned when Parker fired the gun. When he turned around, he saw Andrews, bleeding from his mouth, stand up and walk to the bathroom, where he collapsed.
The teenager called 911 and placed a towel on Andrews’s wound. After being interviewed by police, he was released to his parents.
Parker was arrested and taken to the Monroe County Correctional Center, where he’s held without bond.
The juvenile also lives in the house where the incident occurred, Cole said, but is not related to Andrews.
Jack Evans
