Thomas Parkinson-Freeman, Gulfport, Florida man accidentally shoots & kills twin brother after the siblings drew weapons on each other while sitting in a car.
It was all just supposed to be a joke. A Florida man has been charged with manslaughter after ‘accidentally’ shooting and killing his twin brother as they sat in their parked SUV outside of their Gulfport home, according to police.
Gulfport police say Thomas Parkinson-Freeman, 23, and his brother Mathias were sitting in an SUV parked outside of their home in the 5600 block of 25th Avenue South, along with a mutual friend, around 7 p.m. Sunday.
The three people talked and joked in the vehicle, where investigators said there was no indication of any sort of conflict, Fox13 Tampa Bay reported.
At one point, Mathias pulled out a gun and pointed it at his brother. That’s when police said Thomas responded by pulling out his own ‘concealed’ hand-gun, pointing it at Mathias and pulling the trigger.
Investigators said Mathias was killed after he was struck in the face by a bullet the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Pulled trigger out of instinct?
Officers found a pipe with marijuana residue inside the SUV, but say it is unknown if any of the men were under the influence.
Detectives concluded that Thomas was not acting in self-defense when he drew and fired his gun because he told investigators he was not in fear and did not believe his brother had any intention of shooting him.
‘Thomas said that he reacted automatically based on training and that he does not know why he did so,’ police said.
Officers charged Thomas with manslaughter, a second-degree felony. He is being held at the Pinellas County Jail.
