Man Tells Friend to Shoot Him, Friend Charged with Manslaughter

 

 

A man from Graham County is dead and another is in jail for manslaughter.

According to police reports, they responded to a 911 call in Central, AZ Monday evening.

When they arrived, they discovered 25-year-old Parker Ray Lynch with a gunshot wound to his abdomen.

Lynch was quickly transported to the hospital but died during surgery.

Investigators were told Lynch and some of his friends where taking turns shooting at a plate carrier with ballistic plates included, using their rifles chambered in .223.

At first, the friends had placed the plate carrier in a tree line to shoot at it, then Lynch, who owned the body armor made a fatal mistake.

He donned the armor and instructed his friend, Steven R. Watson, to shoot him.

Watson fired one round, which passed through the plate and carrier, striking Lynch and proving fatal. Watson was arrested and charged with manslaughter.

Lynch’s close friend, Sarah Del, told AZFamily,

“I honestly have no idea why they did what they did,” she said. “At first I didn’t believe it, and then I got the phone call that it was true and I was just heartbroken.”

These men probably failed to take into account that body armor is not intended to take multiple hits. The protective qualities of the armor significantly diminishes with each time it is impacted.

By shooting the armor before donning it, Lynch significantly increased his chances it would fail.

Not to mention, the risk they took whether the plate carrier was whole or not.

The 4 Firearm Safety Rules really do work if they observed:

  1. Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
  2. Never point the Firearm at anything you are not willing to destroy.
  3. Treat every Firearm as if it were loaded.
  4. Know your target and what is beyond.

Following these 4 simple rules and ensuring those around you do as well, keeps shooting safe and fun for everyone. Exercise your right to keep and bear arms responsibly.

What do you think of this tragic mistake? Leave a comment below to let me know.

 

2 Comments

  1. Daniel Smith on February 23, 2022 at 6:15 am

    This is a case of pure negligence. Sad 🙁

  2. Melody on December 9, 2022 at 11:40 pm

    This is such a heartbreaking scenario and one that can easily be prevented. It’s quite childish on the part of that man to ask his friend to shoot him. People these days are just crazy and not thinking straight. May he rest in peace.

Leave a Comment