In Dothan, Alabama, on the evening of May 19, 2018, 19-year-old Christian Blake Mullins, a white male, was at a friend's house on Baker Trace with 20-year-old Fisher Shipes. The night took a tragic turn when Shipes, while consuming alcohol, found a shotgun in the residence. Believing the firearm to be unloaded, he pointed it at Mullins and pulled the trigger. A single shot struck Mullins in the abdomen.
He was rushed to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery but succumbed to the severe injuries shortly after midnight on May 20, 2018.
Initially, Fisher Shipes attempted to mislead law enforcement by claiming an unknown assailant had entered the home, shot Mullins, and then fled the scene. However, upon investigation, officers with the Dothan Police Department quickly determined this story to be false. Shipes was taken into custody for questioning and subsequently admitted that he was responsible for the shooting. He maintained that he believed the shotgun was unloaded.
Following the investigation, Fisher Shipes was arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection with Christian Mullins's death. In May 2019, Shipes pleaded guilty to the charge. During the sentencing, it was noted that after the shooting, Shipes had dragged his friend's body outside in an attempt to support his fabricated story about an unknown attacker. The court took this initial deception into account. Shipes expressed remorse, stating that Mullins was his best friend. He was ultimately sentenced to 14 years in prison for the accidental, yet fatal, shooting.
