Weatherford, OK – A Weatherford man has now been charged with manslaughter after investigators say he fatally shot a friend while handling a handgun at a Weatherford home last week.
Jonathan David “Zombie” Bridges, 24, of Weatherford, is charged in Custer County District Court with first-degree manslaughter in the commission of a misdemeanor, a felony. The charge was filed Monday.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, officers were called at about 9:48 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, to a home in the 400 block of Texas Street for a report of a man with a gunshot wound to the chest.
When officers arrived, they found a woman on her knees applying pressure to the victim’s chest in an effort to stop the bleeding. A 9mm Taurus semi-automatic pistol was on the kitchen countertop, and an officer secured the firearm while other officers began life-saving measures, the affidavit states.
Paramedics later pronounced the victim dead at 10:30 p.m., according to the document.
The woman told investigators she had arrived in Weatherford around 2 p.m. that day and that she and several friends went to a local restaurant around 5 p.m. to eat and have drinks. She said the group later returned to the residence, where Bridges was already present because he had a key and was planning to move in soon.
The woman said the others eventually left and only she, Bridges, and Whitley remained at the home. She went to a bedroom to talk on the phone and then got into the shower. As she was getting out, she saw the victim pick up a gun from the nightstand. A short time later she heard a “pop,” recognized the sound as a gunshot, and ran to the kitchen, where she found the man on the floor bleeding from his chest, the affidavit states.
The woman told officers she tried to help the victim while Bridges repeatedly said he was sorry and that he did not mean to shoot him. She also said it was not the first time the men had been “playing around shooting and messing with guns,” according to the filing.
Officers at the scene reported seeing several other firearms inside the home, including multiple handguns and a long gun.
In a later interview with authorities, Bridges waived his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with investigators, according to the affidavit. Bridges told officials that he and the victim had been friends for three to four years and that he was about to move in with him, already keeping some of his belongings, including guns, at the house.
Bridges said he arrived at the residence around 6:50 p.m. and began drinking an alcoholic energy drink. After the homeowner arrived, both men continued drinking, and Bridges estimated he had four to five alcoholic drinks while he was there. The two men, who both liked firearms, began comparing guns and “dry firing” them, Bridges told investigators.
Bridges said he removed the magazine from his 9mm pistol while they were dry firing. After a short phone call with his father, he put the magazine back into the gun and placed it in its case because he thought they were finished handling firearms, according to the affidavit.
A short time later, the men began talking again about firearms and “point of aim.” Bridges said the victim picked up his own gun and dry fired it. Bridges then picked up his 9mm from the case, “was not thinking,” cocked the firearm, pointed it, and pulled the trigger, expecting only a click, the affidavit states. Instead, the pistol fired and struck the man. Bridges told investigators he dropped the gun, tried to help his friend, and called 911.
In the criminal information, prosecutors allege Bridges caused the man’s death while “unlawfully engaged in the commission of a misdemeanor, specifically reckless conduct with a firearm,” and that he acted with “conscious disregard for the safety of (the victim)” by loading, cocking, and pointing the pistol at him and pulling the trigger.
First-degree manslaughter in the commission of a misdemeanor is punishable by imprisonment for not less than four years if convicted.
A judge found probable cause for the charge and set Bridges’ bond at $150,000, according to the court filing.
Bridges is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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