Courtesy photo / Reckless gun play led to the Tuesday arrest of 20-year-old New Smyrna Beach resident Marcus White in his father's June 7 shooting death, a complete change of story over what he initially described as an accidental shooting, according to Sheriff's investigators.SAMSULA -- Scared that an intruder was trying to break into his family's camper, 20-year-old Marcus White initially said he armed himself for protection with a pistol that accidentally discharged and killed his father earlier this month. But during a follow-up interview with Volusia County Sheriff's investigators, a different story emerged and the son was charged with manslaughter.
"White told investigators that he lied about a possible intruder and instead was playing with the gun out of curiosity when he inadvertently fired the fatal shot into his father's back," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said.
"White told investigators that he lied about a possible intruder and instead was playing with the gun out of curiosity when he inadvertently fired the fatal shot into his father's back," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said.
Based on the follow-up investigation and White's admission, the June 7 killing inside a camper in Samsula was determined to be the result of White's negligent handling of the gun, Davidson said. After consulting with prosecutors at the State Attorney's Office about the change of story, the decision was made to charge White with manslaughter, a second-degree felony, he added.
The shooting occurred in a rural area of the county, on Alligator Ranch Road off of State Road 415.
White told Sheriff's investigators that after hearing noises coming from outside of the camper, he got scared and tried to awaken his father, 50-year-old Douglas White. When he couldn't wake his father, Marcus White said he retrieved his father's handgun from its holster for protection and held it while looking out the window to see if someone was trying to break in.
When he didn't see anyone, Marcus White turned around with the gun still in his hand and his finger inadvertently slipped onto the trigger. He said the gun accidentally fired, with the round striking Douglas White in the back while he was asleep in his bed. Douglas White died at the scene.
Initially, Sheriff's investigators said they were treating the shooting as accidental and didn't plan to charge Marcus White. However, that was before his story changed, the Sheriff's spokesman said.
"During a second interview nearly a week after the shooting, Marcus White told investigators that he lied during his initial interview immediately after the shooting. He admitted that he didn't hear an intruder," Davidson said. "And investigators didn't find any evidence at the scene to support the presence of an intruder trying to get into the camper."
Instead, White acknowledged that he pulled his father's gun out of its holster because he was curious about it and then began to play with it, Davidson said of the accused, adding: "He said he was standing next to the bed holding the gun when he switched hands, moving the gun from his right hand to his left. He said the palms of his hands were sweaty, and that caused his finger to slip and accidentally pull the trigger."
When investigators recovered the gun, a .40-caliber, semi-automatic pistol, it had one round in the chamber and 11 rounds in the magazine. Florida statutes define manslaughter as the killing of a person through an act of culpable negligence.
White was arrested shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday morning and transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach, where he's being held without bond.
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