A West Valley City man, Kevin Flores Villa, has been indicted for manslaughter after shooting his brother while the two were messing around with a handgun. According to charging documents, the incident occurred when Flores Villa pointed the weapon at his brother, identified as L.F.V., and pulled the trigger.
A charging document filed by an officer of the Salt Lake County Attorney's Office states that officers responded to a residence after Flores Villa called to report the incident. Flores Villa told police he believed the handgun was empty because he had removed the magazine, though he accidentally pulled the trigger while cocking the slide back.
The document further details that Flores Villa attempted to spook L.F.V. by half-cocking the handgun and pulling the trigger. After nothing happened initially, Flores Villa pointed the gun at his brother's head and pulled the trigger again, resulting in a bullet striking L.F.V. in the head. The victim was later pronounced dead.
According to statements from siblings present at the scene, some had been playing with the firearm by taking it apart and using its laser to point at one another. One sister recalled Flores Villa asking the victim if he could feel the laser on his forehead just before the gunshot was heard.
Flores Villa stated that he had learned about firearms primarily from YouTube and had never shot a gun prior to this incident, nor had he taken any gun safety classes.
The Office of the Medical Examiner reported that there were no obvious injuries other than the wound to the head and determined the manner of death was a homicide. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Flores Villa.
