In a tragic and what authorities would later call a "senseless and preventable" incident, a young Caucasian male's life was cut short in a Waterbury, Connecticut apartment. Dow Kling, a 22-year-old, died on Sunday, November 3, 2013, from a fatal gunshot wound to the chest. The circumstances surrounding his death were not the result of a typical violent crime but rather a reckless act of "gun play" between friends.
On that Sunday afternoon, inside a Mill Street apartment, Kling and his
lifelong friend and roommate, 22-year-old Shawn French, were engaged in a dangerous game. They were taking turns pointing a. 22 caliber Ruger at one another and pulling the trigger, under the mistaken belief that the firearm was loaded with only blank rounds. Tragically, a live round was chambered, and when French pointed the gun at Kling and fired, the shot proved fatal.
In the immediate aftermath, witnesses described French as "freaking out." His initial accounts to the police were inconsistent and false. At first, he fabricated a story about an intruder who had shot Kling and fled the scene. He then altered his story, claiming that Kling had shot himself. Ultimately, faced with inconsistencies in his narrative, French admitted to investigators what had transpired, stating he believed the gun contained a blank and that Kling had been encouraging him to pull the trigger.
Shawn French was taken into custody and charged with first-degree manslaughter and first-degree reckless endangerment. He was later released on a $25,000 bond. Court documents and statements from law enforcement painted a grim picture of the events, highlighting the reckless nature of the two friends' actions. In a subsequent court appearance, French expressed his remorse, stating a desire to trade places with his deceased friend. As part of a plea deal, French later pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter. Despite the wishes of Dow Kling's family for him to avoid incarceration, he was sentenced to two years in prison for his role in the tragic death of his friend.
