Authorities were alerted to the situation around 3:30 a.m. when Richardson himself called them, stating that he had inadvertently shot his friend. Responding officers arrived at the residence on South 13th Terrace and were met with a distressing scene.

Inside the home, a witness provided information while Richardson was found desperately trying to aid the injured man. The victim, who had sustained a gunshot wound to the head, was discovered in the kitchen and was still clinging to life when officers arrived. Despite receiving immediate care on-site, the victim succumbed to his injuries at a nearby hospital.

The case report revealed that Richardson, described by the responding officer as “distraught,” explained that the shooting was a result of horseplay with firearms. He insisted that the gun he was handling discharged accidentally, leading to the fatal outcome.

The reporting officer described Richardson as “distraught” and said Richardson claimed he and the victim had been playing around with guns and that the one he was holding accidentally went off.

A witness told investigators that the victim and Richardson had known each other for more than a decade. They lived and worked together at the time of the shooting.

Richardson was later arrested and booked into the Nassau County jail for manslaughter after police determined they had probable cause to believe he put the gun up to the victim’s head and pulled the trigger.