Manslaughter charge in Skagit campsite shooting

January 17, 2013 @ 8:42 am

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) - A man who says he accidentally shot his girlfriend while they were camping in a tent near Marblemount was charged Wednesday in Mount Vernon with manslaughter.

Thirty-one-year-old Clayton Riggles told investigators he was putting his .45-caliber revolver under his pillow to go to sleep Saturday when it went off and hit 28-year-old Brittany Zika in the head.

The Rockport woman worked as a veterinary assistant at Skagit Animal Clinic in Burlington.

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Information from: Skagit Valley Herald, http://www.skagitvalleyherald.com


(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Comments (3)


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  • Lonestar wrote...
    Sure
    January 14, 2013 8:26 am
    Probably thought it was a squirrel trying to grab his nuts.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • WAmovesRight wrote...
    Accidental???
    January 17, 2013 8:54 am
    I'm not saying he's lying... but for the life of me I cannot see how you accidently discharge a revolver unless the hammer is in the cocked position. I own revolvers both single and double action. A double action revolver has a fair amount of trigger pressure required to draw the hammer back and then release it. A single action will not fire unless the hammer is pulled back. In some cases with older revolvers you can discharge it by hitting the back of the hammer hard enough to fire the cartridge but most, if not all, new rovolver have safety features preventing that.

    I don't understand it.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • imanegro wrote...
    I'll give you 2 theories
    January 17, 2013 11:37 am
    1. Rookie gun owner had finger on the trigger when putting the gun under pillow. 2. He shot her on purpose.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }