UW student killed in gun accident

Casper Star Tribune | Nov 15, 02

[SLB]

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - A University of Wyoming student accidentally killed himself by pointing a loaded handgun to his head and pulling the trigger, according to police. Shane W. Rothmeyer, 30, apparently did not know the gun was loaded.

The accident happened while Rothmeyer and three others were socializing at a residence Nov. 7. The men were drinking but were not legally drunk, according to Commander Dale Stalder.

Stalder said the group was discussing unloaded weapons when Rothmeyer picked up the .44-magnum, recently purchased by one of the men.

"It's a horrible tragedy," Police Chief Dave O'Malley said. "You've got one young man who is dead and you have three others who will remember that morning for the rest of their lives."

Investigators ruled out homicide but planned to do gunshot residue testing.

Rothmeyer, originally from Casper, studied wildlife management at the university. A memorial service was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Friday at the Canterbury House.

[ApesForEvolution]

Go to http://www.ogrish.com and if you search, you can see what a .44 caliber round does to a man's cranium. Sober reality.

[Vic3O3]

Not an accident, but rather an act of STUPIDITY!

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

Darwin?

Hands down winner!

[El Gato]

Gotta get that healthy respect for the power of a firearm ingrained early on

That's why just shooting paper isn't so great. Vegetables, like tomatoes, for low power/small caliber catridges, or watermelons, for the big boys, make very instructive targets. For rifles, beyond .22 rimfire, a metal can, like a coffe can, filled with water and with a lid of somesort, works well too. My wife's uncle gave her brother and I that lesson using a 30-06, which opened the seam and pretty well flattened the can. Don't know where the lid went. :) (We weren't particualarly younmg but were .22 and shotgun shooters at that time).

[Lunatic Fringe]

A University of Wyoming student accidentally killed himself by pointing a loaded handgun to his head and pulling the trigger

OOPS!

[Pookie Me]

"LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - A University of Wyoming student accidentally negligently (and very stupidly, I might add) killed himself by pointing a loaded handgun to his head and pulling the trigger"

Accidentally, inadvertantly and not on purpose.. It's all the same.

Pookie & ME

[riverrunner]

Pointing a gun at your head and pulling the trigger is no accident.Calling this an accident is just to make the family feel better.

[Contra]

I think somebody who does this is suicidal and though it may look "accidental" there was a desire on his part to kill himself.

[ActionNewsBill]

Ok, I said something really dumb, and I know it. Apologies all around for that.

Not at all. No need to apologize. You've said much dumber things than that, as have I. : > )

[m1911]

Darn, I was hoping nobody had noticed :)

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

A University of Wyoming student accidentally killed himself by pointing a loaded handgun to his head and pulling the trigger, according to police. Shane W. Rothmeyer, 30, apparently did not know the gun was loaded.

Out of sympathy for the friends and relatives of this guy, I won't say what I really think about his stunt.

[Lion Den Dan]

Darwin for sure. What a thread you started.

[SLB]

How goes the deer hunting? We were driving the Bluegrass Pkwy late thursday night coming back from Georgetown and saw a really nice buck that had been hit. I almost stopped to get the rack. Today is the first time in a month I have had my whole Saturday and Sunday. Can't wait for Stryker to leave Ft Knox so my life can return to normal, the comp/over time is nice, but takes a toll on the old body.

[VERYProGun]

"Accidentally, inadvertantly and not on purpose.. It's all the same."

Nope. There is no such thing as an accidental firearms discharge, only NEGLIGENT ones. This stems from the fact that there is no such thing as an unloaded gun. This guy was purely negligent and stupid. No accident about it.

VPG

[Lion Den Dan]

Deer hunting is hunting. Have passed up some doe. The sooner Stryker goes away, the better off all of Americal will be.

[waterstraat]

My pop told me: "You must treat every gun as though it is loaded--so you might as well go ahead and load it."

My grandpa said the same thing, as well as "an unloaded gun is not much good"