A West Palm Beach woman has been arrested in the fatal shooting of her roommate that she said was an accident that happened while she was showing the roommate her gun, police said.
Susan Lacy Russell, 69, was arrested Tuesday on a negligent manslaughter charge in the May 16 death of 28-year-old Ninoshka Michelle Almengor, an arrest report said.
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According to the report, Russell called 911 that day "upset and out of breath."
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"I need the f---ing paramedics, I accidentally shot my roommate!" she said. "I was showing my roommate my gun, I thought it was unloaded because the magazine is out of it, and I shot the gun, and I shot my roommate…somewhere in the stomach region."
Fire rescue responded and found Almengor shot once in the chest. She was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Russell later told an investigator that she'd discovered her Taurus pistol inside a piece of luggage as she was packing for a trip.
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She said Almengor asked to hold the firearm and Russell pulled it out of the luggage believing it wasn't loaded, the report said.
Russell said as she handed the weapon to Almengor, she pulled the trigger and shot Almengor in the chest, the report said.
"One stupid mistake of not making sure the f---ing chamber was empty when you thought it was, that's all, double check!" Russell told the investigator, according to the report.
Almengor's death was later ruled a homicide by the Palm Beach Medical Examiner.
The investigator determined Russell "carelessly pulled the trigger" on the gun while it was pointed at Almengor and that it was "not an excusable homicide or murder," the report said.
Russell was booked into jail and appeared before a judge Wednesday, who set her bond at $30,000.
