Man accidentally shoots dead son-in-law after mistaking him for intruder when he flew thousands of miles to surprise him . A man accidentally shot dead his son-in-law after mistaking him for an intruder when he flew thousands of miles to surprise him. Christopher Bergan, 37, flew 4,500 miles from Norway to Florida to surprise his wife's dad, Richard Dennis, for his 61st birthday. But when he jumped out of bushes in Mr Dennis's back garden, the older man mistook Mr Bergan for an intruder and shot him. The incident took place on Tuesday, after Mr Bergan landed in Florida at around 11pm and headed straight for his father-in-law's house, according to authorities. About two hours before Mr Bergan arrived at Mr Dennis' house, another relative had paid a visit by banging on the door, which startled Mr Dennis and the two got into a "verbal altercation". Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said at a press conference: "At 11:30, Mr Dennis hears the same type of banging on the back door that he heard on the front door earlier. “So he turns on the back porch light, he steps out, and Mr Bergan jumps out of the shadows, scaring Mr Dennis. Mr Dennis gives off one round, striking Mr Bergan, killing him instantly.” Man shoots, kills son-in-law who jumped out of bushes to surprise him. Richard Dennis opened fire on Christopher Bergan, 37, in Pensacola https://t.co/Lc1NbWYm4P — Fairenhite (@fairenhite) October 4, 2019 Mr Johnson said that Mr Dennis made a "growling noise" when he jumped out to reveal himself and "totally startled" Mr Dennis, adding that the bullet went "straight to Bergan's heart". As soon as Mr Dennis realised what he had done he called 911 and those at the scene tried to stem the bleeding. Mr Bergan's friend who drove him from the airport also witnessed the incident. The sheriff said no charges are being made against Dennis and called for prayers for the family. Mr Johnson continued: "They were working on him when our officers got there, and our officers got there pretty quick. "Our investigation has revealed that this was totally accidental. “It was a really sad occurrence, and that no charges are warranted in this case.” He concluded: "Anybody who is religious out there, you need to pray for this family. I can’t imagine what they’re going through. “I’m not going to second guess Mr. Dennis for doing what he did. I mean, here he is, he just had a confrontation at the front of his house, a couple hours later somebody’s banging on his back door. "And it’s a fenced yard, and somebody jumps out of the bushes, I mean, you can’t really say anything against Mr. Dennis for doing what he did. “I think it’s just a horrible accident that should never have happened." https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/worl...im/ar-AAIgjok?MSCC=1570201831&ocid=spartandhp
No surprise really in a climate where people are told of the urgency to hold a gun due to protect oneself in a home invasion.
I lived in Baltimore and many of my "buddies" in the bar there told me they had a gun pointed at them in their lives, and some of them more than once!
