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Michelle Yeagher (Connecticut State Police).
A Connecticut woman has been arrested after allegedly shooting and killing a man as he watched a classic Pixar movie with a child, state law enforcement officials report.
Michelle Yeagher, 65, faces charges of murder, carrying a firearm under the influence, risk of injury to a child, and first-degree reckless endangerment, as stated by the Connecticut State Police.
The tragic event unfolded late Monday night at a residence on Pratt Road in the Dayville area of Killingly, a small town approximately 50 miles east of Hartford.
According to charging documents obtained by NBC affiliate WVIT, earlier that evening, 39-year-old Andrew Michael Olson was watching “Toy Story” with a 12-year-old child whose identity has not been disclosed. Later that night, Olson was tragically killed.
Prosecutors report that at 9:31 p.m., officers arrived to find Olson with a single gunshot wound to his chest. Authorities say the child present in the home recounted that Olson and the child were watching the movie when Yeagher entered the room and fired the fatal shot.
Olson was rushed to nearby Day Kimball Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries, according to law enforcement.
Meanwhile, troopers found Yeagher in bed and asked her about the location of the gun used to shoot Olson, according to prosecutors. The defendant allegedly appeared to be highly intoxicated and said she was not sure where the gun had been placed, law enforcement claim.
During an initial interview after being detained, Yeagher allegedly tried to justify the shooting, according to investigators.
“He tried to kill me,” the defendant allegedly told police on the night in question. “I shot him. He came after me, I shot him.”
The woman allegedly went on to say she was in the bedroom when Olson came after her – describing some difficulty unlocking her gun safe before firing her weapon, police say.
Yeagher allegedly told investigators that Olson and the child came over earlier that night and then she went to bed.
That explanation, of course, did not align with what the 12-year-old told investigators. Then, the defendant”s story allegedly changed.
Yeagher was subsequently handcuffed and taken out of the residence on a stretcher around 11:30 p.m., according to a report by Hartford-based CBS affiliate WFSB.
The defendant was interviewed again the next morning.
On Tuesday, she allegedly told investigators she was upset from dealing with various issues throughout the day and started drinking that night. Later, Yeagher allegedly said she woke up terrified and retrieved her gun but did not remember anything until she heard Olson in a state of distress. Next, the defendant allegedly said she saw an injured person lying on the ground, according to law enforcement.
Yeagher is currently being detained in the Connecticut State Department of Correction on $1 million bond, records show.
She is next slated to appear in court on Dec. 11.