Man shoots son-in-law dead after he jumped out of bushes in 'birthday surprise'
Richard Dennis fired off round at Christoper Bergan in what sheriff calls ‘horrible accident’
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Your support makes all the difference.A father shot dead his son-in-law after he jumped out of bushes for a birthday surprise, police have said.
Richard Dennis fired off a round at Christopher Bergan, 37, apparently fearing he was under attack at his own home.
The 61-year-old, of Gulf Breeze in the US state of Florida, reportedly only realised he had shot his daughter’s husband after he lay dead.
The incident was called a “horrible accident” by Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson who announced there would be no charges, the Pensacola News Journal reports.
The tragedy unfolded after Mr Bergan flew in from his native Norway for Mr Dennis’s birthday on Tuesday night, the official said at a Thursday press conference.
The visitor banged on his father-in-law’s back door in the city’s Coronado Court at 11.30pm before hiding in bushes.
But when he jumped out growling, the older man pulled the trigger of the .380 semi-automatic he was carrying.
Offering more detail, Sheriff Johnson revealed that earlier the same evening another of Dennis’s relatives had come to his home and banged on the front door in the same manner, resulting in an heated argument between the pair.
He said: “I’m not going to second guess Mr Dennis for what he did.
“Here he is, he had just had a confrontation at the front of his house. Couple hours later, someone is banging on his back door, and it’s a fenced yard. And then someone jumps out of the bushes. You can’t really say anything against Mr Dennis for doing what he did.”
He added: “Anybody who is religious out there, you need to pray for this family. I can’t imagine what they’re going through. It’s horrible.”
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