WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A Wichita man has been convicted of killing his cousin in an accidental shooting while passing around guns and drinking alcohol.
Martin David Ruiz Jr. is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 11 for involuntary manslaughter in the June 2018 shooting death of 24-year-old Anthony Martinez. He entered a guilty plea in the case Monday, The Wichita Eagle reports.
Police wrote in the affidavit that witnesses said several people were drinking beer in the backyard of a home when Ruiz pulled a handgun out of a bag of guns. He took out the gun’s magazine and racked back the slide on the pistol before giving it to Martinez.
The witnesses said Ruiz then grabbed a second weapon from the bag and removed the magazine. But the gun went off when Ruiz pulled back the slide.
Martinez died about eights hours later at a hospital, after telling officers that Ruiz shot him while passing around guns.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.