Neighbor Of Manslaughter Suspect Saw Him Distraught In Hallway
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - The neighbor of an Aurora man who is charged with reckless manslaughter says he saw the suspect distraught and bloody in the hallway after the shooting incident that left his wife dead.
Police say Brian Lebron-Rivera admitted he shot and killed his wife Thursday evening, but he says it was an accident. The shooting took place in Lebron-Rivera's third story apartment at 17103 East Ohio Place.
Kendrick Wedgeworth lives in the apartment across the hallway from Lebron-Rivera. He told CBS4 he was arriving home from work at approximately the same time emergency responders were getting to the scene.
"I went upstairs and saw the guy sitting outside his door with blood all over him," Wedgeworth said.
According to arrest paperwork, Lebron-Rivera told investigators he and his wife had been "training." He was allegedly trying to show her how to react if someone else had a weapon. He said the two were simply playing -- trying to take the gun from each other -- when it went off.
"He was very emotional, crying badly. ... Police were having a hard time trying to get him to calm down," Wedgeworth said.
At least one neighbor who police interviewed said she heard sounds of fighting coming from the apartment on numerous occasions. But Wedgeworth said his experience was much different.
"I've never heard them fighting. ... I've always heard them laughing," he said.
Lebron-Rivera told police he didn't remember loading the gun.
A spokesman for nearby Buckley Air Force Base said Lebron-Rivera is an airman in the Air Force. They said he arrived at Buckley in June and joined the Air Force last December.
