WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — A 20-year-old man from Winter Haven is facing manslaughter charges after a gun he was holding fired, leaving another man dead, authorities said.
Michael Tyner is being charged with one count of manslaughter with a weapon after a man he shot at a home on Avenue F Southeast died from his injuries at the hospital, the Winter Haven Police Department said in a news release.
Officers arrived at the home Tuesday, July 2 around 3:20 p.m. after receiving a 911 call for the wounded man, Winter Haven PD said. Tyner reportedly told investigators he thought the shot came from outside the home, but police saw no signs of a bullet entering the home and obtained a search warrant soon after.
The other four people living at the home told investigators they were either on the phone or asleep before hearing a "loud pop" and seeing Tyner carry the man out of a bedroom and into the living room, the department said.
After officers found a gun in one of the bedrooms with a spent shell-casing, Tyner reportedly told them he was cleaning the weapon before it "went off."
Police said investigators found no evidence of cleaning supplies in the room where the shooting occurred, and Tyner was arrested soon after.
In the release, Winter Haven Police Chief David Brannan called the incident one that "changed the course of many lives."
"We have a young man deceased, his family grieving and another young man facing serious charges for an act that appears to be negligence in the handling of a firearm," Brannan stated. "Our thoughts and prayers are with all involved."