On the evening of March 16, 2016, 26-year-old African American male Jemichal Delloyd Hardy was at his San Antonio residence with his girlfriend, Raven, and her two children. They were watching television when Anthony Arlanders Ross, with whom Jemichal shared the house, arrived. Ross and Jemichal engaged in a friendly conversation for about fifteen to twenty minutes. During this time, Ross retrieved a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun.
Raven testified that she heard Ross load the gun, though he never handed it to Jemichal. The two men discussed oiling the firearm to improve its performance when the gun discharged, striking Jemichal in the face and resulting in his immediate death.
San Antonio Police Detectives Ronald Lee Haley and Robert Bunnell responded to the scene. As Detective Haley arrived, Ross approached him, stating, "I got to tell you something. I accidentally shot somebody." Ross appeared distraught but cooperative. Inside the house, Detective Bunnell observed a magazine clip some distance from Jemichal's body and the handgun used in the shooting. He noted that this model, with a 10.5-pound trigger pull weight, is designed to prevent accidental discharge. Further investigation revealed gunshot residue on Jemichal's hands, suggesting he had raised them in defense before being shot. Detective Bunnell concluded that the shooting was not accidental.
At the police station, Ross was interviewed by Detective Randall Hines. Ross recounted that he and Jemichal were comparing the weights of their respective guns. He claimed that after Jemichal removed the magazine clip from Ross's gun, he handed it back to Ross through his shirt, with the barrel facing himself. Ross stated that as he took the gun, it discharged. Detective Hines found inconsistencies in Ross's account, noting that if Jemichal had removed the magazine clip, it should have been near his body, and the nature of the wound did not align with Ross's description. Additionally, the firearm's heavy trigger pull made accidental discharge unlikely.
Dr. Samantha Evans, a forensic pathologist with the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office, conducted Jemichal's autopsy. She determined that the bullet entered just below Jemichal's right eyebrow and exited the back of his head. The absence of certain wound characteristics made it unclear whether the shot was fired from a few inches or a few feet away. Dr. Evans concluded that the manner of death was homicide.
Edward Wallace, a forensic scientist specializing in firearms, testified that the handgun was neither mechanically nor physically defective. He emphasized that the only way to discharge the gun was by manually pulling the trigger, given its substantial trigger pull weight. This information further supported the conclusion that the shooting was not accidental.
Ross testified in his defense, describing his close relationship with Jemichal and reiterating his version of events. He acknowledged that handing the loaded gun to Jemichal and grabbing it back while it was pointed at Jemichal were reckless actions. The jury found Ross guilty of manslaughter, and he was sentenced to ten years of confinement.
Jemichal Delloyd Hardy was born on October 9, 1989. His funeral services were held on March 26, 2016, at The Fountain of Praise Church in Houston, Texas.
