Police Investigating If Lodi Roommate Shooting Was Accidental
LODI (CBS13) — New questions are leaving investigators wondering if a shooting that killed a Lodi man was accidental or intentional.
They're described as close, almost like best friends. That's what makes it difficult for police and loved ones to think Richard Welker would allegedly shoot and kill his roommate Arlie Druen.
"We're all dealing with it the best we can, but it's real heartbreaking," said David Bradley, Druen's brother. "You ask any kids around, they'll tell you not to play with guns, and yet you got grown adults doing it and killing other people.
Police are looking into the possibility the shooting inside a Lodi home was an accident.
Bradley said he was told by a witness that Welker was playing with his gun when it went off.
"The gun was handled, and the slide was pulled back, and when it came forward, it went off and it hit my brother," he said.
But here's the strange part. Bradley was also told by investigators his brother died from two gunshot wounds—one to the chest, and another to the leg.
Accidentally shot twice, or was it the same bullet? For now, police are staying tight-lipped, saying they're investigating all possibilities.
Accidental or intentional, the end result is the same: A young boy without his dad.
"I don't know what to think right now. All I know is my brother's dead, and there's a lot of hurt people right now because of it," Bradley said.
