A man was fatally shot by his friend after allegedly claiming he could “dodge a bullet” while under the influence of marijuana.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by ABC4, 23-year-old Ashton Jonathan Mann was smoking marijuana with the victim in a kitchen when their conversation turned to guns. They later moved to a garage, where they continued discussing and handling firearms.
Mann told authorities that after unloading both guns, his friend claimed he could dodge a bullet. Mann pointed a gun at him and fired as his friend attempted to “jump out of the way to prove he could react before the trigger was pulled.”
They repeated this dangerous stunt around six times, but on the final attempt, the gun discharged, striking the victim in the chest, the affidavit states.
Mann immediately called 911 and tried to render aid until emergency responders arrived at the home in Kearns, Salt Lake County, Utah. The victim was found unresponsive and rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
During the investigation, Unified Police officers executed a search warrant at the residence, recovering two handguns, magazines, ammunition, and drug paraphernalia consistent with marijuana use.
Mann was arrested shortly after 4 a.m. on Sunday, February 2, and charged with second-degree felony manslaughter and a third-degree felony related to firearms.
The identity of the victim has not yet been released.
