Woman charged with killing boyfriend says it was an accident
A woman charged with manslaughter in the death of her boyfriend told police the gun went off accidentally, killing him.
Mark H. O'Dell, 36, of Minneapolis, died of a gunshot wound to the left abdomen, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, which came after a shooting was reported in the 2400 block of Cole Ave. SE around noon on Monday.
Charged with 2nd-degree manslaughter is Janice Hawkins-Green, 39, who told police she was arguing with O'Dell when she handed him a handgun, only for it to go off as she passed it.
She later conceded however that her finger was on the trigger as she passed the gun over, while the complaint notes that the gun in question had two safeties that prevent the gun from being fired unless they're turned off.
She told police that her 15-year-old daughter then placed the gun under a bed, where officers later found it.
The same daughter said her mother had told O'Dell to pack up and leave the house. The pair were arguing for about 15 minutes before the shot was heard.
Officers arrived at the scene to find Hawkins-Green and O'Dell's mother on the porch, with O'Dell wounded on the ground.
