In the spring of 2015, a night of casual camaraderie in Bellingham, Washington, took a tragic and irreversible turn, ending the life of 23-year-old Aaron Richmond Bornemann. On the evening of April 2, Bornemann had gone to his friend Masen Jon Potter's home to socialize. Bornemann brought a. 22-caliber pistol with him, and at some point, he and Potter engaged in what was later described as "messing around" with the firearm.
They reportedly removed the magazine and dry-fired the seemingly unloaded weapon inside the house.
Later that evening, after the two men had gone outside for a cigarette and returned, Potter picked up the handgun again. Believing it to be unloaded, he pointed it at Bornemann's head and pulled the trigger. This time, however, the gun was loaded. The shot was fatal, and though Bornemann was rushed to St. Joseph hospital, he never regained consciousness. An autopsy would later find that Bornemann had alcohol and illegal drugs in his system at the time of the incident.
In the immediate aftermath, a distraught Potter confessed to police that he had shot his friend. He was arrested in the early morning hours following the shooting and was subsequently charged with first-degree manslaughter. The investigation suggested that Bornemann may have reloaded the gun without Potter's knowledge.
Masen Jon Potter, who was 22 at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty to the charge of first-degree manslaughter. In March of 2016, a judge sentenced him to five years and ten months in prison, a sentence that was in line with a plea agreement that had been discussed and agreed upon with Bornemann's family. The prosecution noted that while the act was not intentional, it was a tragic consequence of reckless behavior with a firearm.
