Man Charged In Shooting Death

Sat., July 15, 2000

A Spokane man has been charged with first-degree manslaughter in an accidental shooting that left one man dead Thursday, police said. Court papers filed Friday say Richard R. Sheppard, 21, had been drinking beer since 11 a.m. and playing with a shotgun he bought only weeks before.

At about 8 p.m. Sheppard was on his apartment balcony at 1843 East Marshall with Seth A. Carter, 22, and another friend.

Sheppard told police detectives he pulled back the slide hammer, pressed the safety lock and pointed the shotgun at Carter, when the weapon accidently fired.

Carter was hit in the chest and killed. Police Sgt. Jerry Frye said the men were acquainted and had not been fighting during the day. Sheppard was booked into the Spokane County Jail, with bail set at $100,000.

After the shooting, several witnesses told detectives that Sheppard picked up the shotgun shells and attempted to clean the weapon. He then went into his bedroom and wrapped the shotgun in a towel, court documents say. The gun was found outside his bedroom window.

Witnesses told detectives that Sheppard kept saying, “I didn’t do it. Tell them I didn’t do it.”

Sheppard apparently had been playing with the gun and pointing it at people during the day, court documents say.

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