HOPE — A young man who fatally shot his friend Saturday told police he thought the real .40-caliber automatic in his hand was an airsoft gun.
Joseph T. Kidwell, 18, shot Jesse Bragg, 18, in the chest shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday at a home in the 300 block of Elm Street in Hope, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Thursday. Bragg died at the scene from the gunshot wound.
There were six or seven people in the home at the time of the shooting. Investigators found marijuana and alcohol in the home along with a 9-mm handgun, a .40-caliber handgun and an airsoft pistol, according to the affidavit.
Airsoft guns are replicas that use compressed air to fire soft pellets. Some of these guns look very much like real firearms. Media reports from across the country detail accounts where people have been shot, usually by police, after an airsoft gun was mistaken for the real thing.
Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers stressed the importance of responsible gun ownership in a message posted Tuesday on his office's official Facebook page.
"Education is key when it comes to gun safety," Myers said in a message commenting under a post detailing the official information released about the shooting that killed Bragg and sent Kidwell to jail.
"Most of all when these reckless incidents occur we will investigate and seek justice for families involved and the community," Myers said. "Guns and drugs with alcohol don’t mix, period."
Bartholomew County prosecutors on Thursday charged Kidwell with reckless homicide, a level 5 felony that carries a sentence of one to six years in prison if convicted.
RELATED: 18-year-old shot, killed in Bartholomew County | Columbus police seek suspect in Thanksgiving Day road rage shooting | Man arrested in fatal Thanksgiving Day shooting in Bartholomew County
Contact WRTV reporter Vic Ryckaert at victor.ryckaert@wrtv.com or on Twitter: @vicryc.
-
Martin University to pause operations at end of current semester
Martin University announced Tuesday that it will pause operations at the end of the current semester, citing financial and enrollment challenges.
I-65 reopens after semi carrying explosives catches fire in Bartholomew County
I-65 has been completely shut down in both directions following a semi-truck fire involving explosive materials, according to Bartholomew County officials.
Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis expansion set to open Spring 2026
Big changes are coming to the near south side of Indianapolis in the new year. The Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis (CAMi) expansion is set to open May 1, 2026.
State lawmakers consider bill proposing death by firing squad
Republican Senator Mike Young of Indianapolis authored the bill, which would be an alternative to the use of lethal injection, a method that resumed last year in Indiana.
