Tempe man arrested in accidental shooting death of his friend: police

TEMPE, Ariz. - A Tempe man is accused of negligent homicide after a gun he was handling went off, killing his friend, police said.

According to court documents, 24-year-old Ryheem Brummitt had recently purchased a gun in Phoenix and "had been having trouble with the pistol jamming."

Brummitt took the gun to a gun store on Jan. 7 and had an employee look at the gun.

"The employee examined the firearm and determined if [sic] did not have any defects and was working properly," read a portion of the court documents. "He determined Ryheem had not been loading or racking the firearm properly and he showed him how to do it correctly."

The employee also offered to take Brummitt to a shooting range to teach him how to load and fire the gun properly, which Brummitt declined.

Ryheem Brummitt

Brummitt loaded the gun himself before taking it to his apartment near Priest Drive and Elliot Road, where he and his friend were passing it around.

Brummitt was manipulating the safety on the gun when it went off, killing his friend who was lying on the couch.

Investigators said Brummitt initially told police his friend had shot himself, but he later admitted that he had shot and killed his friend.

"Ryheem advised he initially indicated had shot himself because he was afraid of being arrested, but he later decided to tell the truth," read a portion of the court documents. "Ryheem stated this was his fault and that he did it. Ryheem appeared remorseful and indicated he did not mean to shoot and kill his friend."

Brummitt was booked into jail.