A sheriff’s deputy in Florida has been charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of his girlfriend, the police said.
Leslie Boileau, 32, a sheriff’s deputy in Marion County, Fla., said he “accidentally discharged” a loaded gun at his girlfriend, Polina Wright, 25, as they were cleaning and testing guns at his home on Thursday evening, the Ocala Police Department said on Friday.
Mr. Boileau was arrested on Friday and released on $30,000 bond on Saturday, his attorney, Jimmie Sparrow, said.
Chief Mike Balken of the Ocala Police Department said his agency was working with the State Attorney’s Office to “ensure justice is served.”
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident,” Chief Balken said in a statement posted on Facebook. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
According to the arrest affidavit, the Ocala Police Department responded to a call of a shooting at 10:52 p.m. on Thursday at Mr. Boileau’s home in southeast Ocala, in Central Florida. In his emergency call, Mr. Boileau described the shooting as an “accidental discharge,” the document said.
When officers arrived, they found him standing behind a chair where Ms. Wright was sitting. Ms. Wright, who officers said had a Glock 9-millimeter handgun in her lap, had suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was declared dead, according to the document. A pistol rifle was on the kitchen table, according to the document.
Mr. Boileau told officers that he and Ms. Wright had dinner and margaritas at a Mexican restaurant before going back to his home between 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Mr. Boileau noticed his gun cleaning supplies had been delivered and decided to clean his rifle.
Mr. Boileau said that Ms. Wright had asked to learn how to use the guns and that they “were pointing them at each other,” a practice that he told police he knew was “wrong” because of his work in law enforcement, the document said.
Mr. Boileau said that he had disassembled the rifle and had taught Ms. Wright how to clean it, and then had reassembled it and given it to her to test-fire it. After Ms. Wright was done, he entered a loaded magazine into the rifle, which he said he had planned to put away, the document said. Ms. Wright picked up the handgun, which was loaded. Mr. Boileau unloaded the gun and gave it back to Ms. Wright to practice, the document said.
According to the arrest affidavit, Mr. Boileau then grabbed the rifle. “On the second dry fire attempt, Boileau had forgotten that he placed the loaded magazine into the rifle which shot one live round in the direction of Wright, ultimately killing her,” the report said.
Mr. Boileau then called 911 and held his girlfriend until emergency responders arrived, the document said.
“I know this looks really bad,” Mr. Boileau told police when he was first questioned, according to the arrest affidavit. “I told her I did not want this to happen.”
According to Mr. Boileau, he and Ms. Wright had done “similar” trainings in the past.
It was unclear whether the couple had lived together, but Mr. Sparrow said the couple had been in “a serious relationship for an extended period of time.”
Mr. Sparrow declined to offer additional comment on Sunday evening.
Mr. Boileau has no previous criminal history, the Ocala StarBanner reported.
The StarBanner, a daily newspaper in Ocala, Fla., reported that Mr. Boileau joined the Marion County Sheriff’s Department in 2016.
Mr. Boileau is scheduled to appear in court in October.
The post Florida Sheriff’s Deputy Charged in Fatal Shooting of His Girlfriend appeared first on New York Times.
