KENANSVILLE — An accident involving a handgun killed 31-year-old William “Andy” Pickett, when LaShandra Pickett, 21, shot him in the head with what she thought was an empty gun. LaShandra Picket entered a plea of guilty to involuntary manslaughter last week before Superior Court Judge Russell J. Lanier Jr., and was sentenced to an active 16 to 20 months in jail.

According to a statement provided by District Attorney Dewey Hudson, shortly before midnight on June 15, 2008, Pickett thought she was playing with an empty handgun in her apartment. After taking the magazine out of the gun, she went into the living room where William Picket, her boyfriend, was sitting. Though it was unknown at the time, the gun contained a single round in the chamber of the firearm when Pickett pointed the gun at her boyfriend’s head ... and pulled the trigger.

Hudson said the charge against Pickett and her guilty plea reflected what evidence showed occurred in the case, a tragic accident that could have been avoided.

LaShandra Pickett, Hudson said, was “playing around with a gun that she owned and accidentally shot Mr. Pickett.”

The two were at LaShandra Pickett’s 907-D Benchmark Court apartment when the incident occurred.

William Pickett was eating and watching television in the living room. The 21-year-old did not realize that the gun was still loaded when she fired, said Hudson. “They were just playing with guns,” he commented. The case was not one of domestic violence, he added.

Additionally, during the investigation by law enforcement no signs of conflict between the two were found nor did neighbors hear any arguments coming the apartment.

Manslaughter was the correct charge, said Hudson, “Oh, absolutely ... there’s no doubt in my mind that is what the jury would have convicted her of ... There’s no doubt in my mind that she thought she didn’t have a bullet in the gun.”

Michael Connolly can be reached at (910) 592-8137 ext. 120 or can be emailed at sicity@intrstar.net