A Utah man who police believed shot his 18-year-old stepson by accident is revealed to have allegedly acted recklessly in gunning down the Mormon missionary at close range inside their home.
Authorities said Joseph Lee, 46, shot Haven Alexander McBride in the head at their $700,000 home in Riverton near Salt Lake City on Tuesday afternoon while Lee was teaching his daughter how to handle guns.
Riverton Police responded to the shooting at around 3pm and McBride was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
McBride had just graduated from Mountain Ridge High School the week prior and was set to go on a mission trip with the Mormon church, according to a statement shared with ABC4 by Rachel McBride, his paternal aunt.
Police initially described the shooting as ‘accidental,’ but have since charged Lee with manslaughter after home surveillance video captured the deadly incident.
Lee reportedly told police he was showing his daughter two different guns, one that was loaded and one that was not, calling the unloaded weapon a ‘dummy gun.’
He told police he accidentally picked up the loaded Glock 9mm and pulled the trigger. When the bullet left the barrel, the weapon was pointed at McBride, who was sitting opposite Lee, he said.
Surveillance video allegedly showing Lee waiting several minutes after the shooting to perform CPR, according to Riverton Police Chief Shane Taylor.
The affidavit said police opted to charge Lee based on Utah code, which says the crime of manslaughter is committed when someone ‘recklessly’ causes the death of another.
Lee was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Wednesday.
Lee told cops he served in the United States Army as a Green Beret, with police later confirming that he had ‘extensive training in the operation and safe handling of firearms.’
Green Berets, more officially known as Special Forces, are an elite members of the military that are often tasked with counterterrorism and reconnaissance missions.
McBride’s family remembered the victim as ‘a kind, hardworking young man’ who was ‘a dedicated big brother to his siblings.’
‘He had a goofy sense of humor and could always make you laugh,’ McBride’s aunt wrote.
‘He was excited to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was looking forward to the rest of his life. We were excited to watch him live it. He was taken prematurely from this life.’
His family set up a GoFundMe to raise money for his upcoming funeral.
So far, more than $6,000 has been raised toward a $15,000 goal.
Lee’s defense lawyer, Craig Stanger, called what happened ‘just a sad situation.’
Stanger read the probable cause affidavit against his client and told KUTV it was ‘what I expected.’
‘It’s a situation where it’s an unfortunate incident, but it’s extremely reckless,’ he said. ‘It’s just extremely reckless that he would have had the gun up in the direction of a person and actually pull the trigger.’