Bradley "Brad" Allen Freeman was a 40-year-old man from Windber, Pennsylvania, who worked at Thomas Johnstown Buick and GMC. Born in Johnstown on January 25, 1986, he was the son of Paul E. Sr. and Kathleen Freeman. Brad was a stepfather to two boys, Malachi and Christian Feeney. He was preceded in death by his mother and his brother, Paul E. Jr. He is remembered by his surviving family, including a niece and nephew, Sophie and Jeremy Freeman, as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins.
On
the afternoon of Sunday, October 4, 2026, a domestic argument inside the Freeman family home on Mine 42 Road in Adams Township, Cambria County, turned fatal. Just before 4:30 p.m., emergency services were dispatched to the residence for a report of a gunshot wound. Inside, authorities found Bradley Freeman unresponsive in the living room, having sustained a single gunshot wound to his chest. Life-saving measures were attempted at the scene, but he was pronounced dead.
According to the Pennsylvania State Police, the shooting occurred during a heated argument between Brad and his wife, 44-year-old Dawn Freeman, over gun safety. According to a criminal affidavit, Dawn Freeman later told investigators that for the past two years, she had repeatedly "begged" her husband to stop leaving his 9mm handgun unsecured in places where her two children could access it. On that Sunday, she allegedly became angry when he again left the weapon on a coffee table in the living room and refused to move it.
In what she reportedly described as an attempt to "show him a lesson," Dawn Freeman told police she picked up the handgun, pointed it at her husband, and pulled the trigger. The gun fired, striking Brad once in the chest. He fell face-down onto the living room floor. According to police, Dawn Freeman then threw the weapon across the room and screamed. Her son heard her and came to help, administering CPR as instructed by a 911 dispatcher while his mother reported the shooting.
The Adams Township Police Department, along with state police forensic units, responded to the scene. They recovered the black Smith & Wesson firearm in the living room. A single 9mm shell casing was found behind a couch, and the bullet was located on the floor near the front door. An autopsy conducted the following day by Cambria County Coroner Jeff Lees confirmed that Bradley Freeman died from the single gunshot wound to the chest, and the death was ruled a homicide.
Dawn Freeman was taken into custody and questioned by investigators. She was subsequently arrested and arraigned on Monday, October 5, 2026, on charges of criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment. Represented by the Cambria County public defender's office, she was remanded to the Cambria County Prison without bail, which is standard procedure in homicide cases in Pennsylvania. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for October 22 before a district judge.
The investigation into the shooting was a collaborative effort involving the Pennsylvania State Police from multiple barracks, the Adams Township Police Department, the Richland Township Police Department, and the Cambria County District Attorney's office. At the request of his family, no funeral services were held for Bradley Freeman. The John Henderson Co. Funeral Home handled the arrangements. As of October 2026, the case against Dawn Freeman was proceeding through the court system.
