A tragic incident occurring on the evening of May 16 led to the arrest of 69-year-old West Palm Beach resident Susan Russell, facing charges of negligent manslaughter after she accidentally discharged a firearm, killing her roommate, Ninoshka Almengor. As reported by CBS12, Russell had called 911 post the incident, stating, "I accidentally shot my roommate!" She believed her gun was unloaded as the magazine was removed, but the chamber housed a bullet resulting in the accidental shooting.
Russell relayed to the authorities, "I was showing my roommate my gun, I thought it was unloaded because the magazine is out of it, and I shot the gun, and I shot my roommate...somewhere in the stomach region." Paramedics arriving at the scene on Avon Road found Almengor with a wound to her chest and subsequently transported her to St. Mary's Medical Center according to WPTV News Channel 5, where she was declared deceased within an hour of the shooting.
The incident took a dark turn when, during an interrogation by West Palm Beach police detectives, Russell admitted to having "carelessly" handed over the gun and unintentionally pulling the trigger. In a conversation, recounted by CBS12, she warned of the perils of complacency stating, "One stupid mistake of not making sure the f****** chamber was empty when you thought it was, that's all, double check!"
Police investigations have clarified that the model of the Taurus pistol involved can fire even in the absence of its magazine. WPTV News Channel 5 reported that Russell had found the gun while packing for a trip and that Almengor had wished to handle it. After Russell's bond was set at $30,000, a judge mandated no contact with Almengor's family or witnesses, along with the forfeiture of access to any weapons. West Palm Beach authorities have deemed the tragic incident "not an excusable homicide," maintaining that Russell "carelessly pulled the trigger on a firearm which was pointed directly at Ms. Almengor."
