Firearms Instructor and Daughter Charged With Homicide After Man Killed by Accidental Shot
The gun shop owner was killed during a weapon malfunction drill.
— -- A firearms instructor and his daughter have been charged with homicide after an Ohio gun shop owner was shot and killed during a drill there, according to prosecutors.
On June 18, firearms instructor Mark T. Montgomery was teaching a concealed carry weapons class at the KayJay Gun Shop in Monroe Township when one of the participants discharged a handgun while practicing a weapon malfunction drill, said Clermont County Prosecutor D. Vincent Faris.
According to a 911 call obtained by ABC News, they were supposed to be using plastic bullets but a live round discharged, going through a wall and hitting the victim, James Baker. He later died from his injuries, prosecutors said.
Montgomery was charged with one count of third-degree felony reckless homicide, Faris said. His daughter, Katie Dunham, was charged with one count of first-degree misdemeanor negligent homicide for her role in assisting the class, Faris added.
Eighteen witnesses testified at a grand jury proceeding, including the 10 class participants, according to the prosecutor's office.
In a 911 call placed by Dunham and obtained by ABC News, she said the owner of the gun shop was “just shot in the neck” and that they needed emergency services immediately.
Dunham said during the class, there was a live round in one of the guns, although they were supposed to be using plastic bullets. The bullet went through the wall and shot the owner in the neck, she said, according to the call.
A summons on indictment for Montgomery and Dunham was filed Tuesday afternoon. It is unclear if they have obtained lawyers or entered pleas.