Florida man shoots dead son-in-law after he jumps 'out of the bushes' to surprise him on his birthday
A Florida man reportedly shot and killed his son-in-law after he leaped out of the bushes to surprise him on his birthday.
In what authorities described as a "horrible accident", 61-year-old Richard Dennis fatally shot Christopher Bergan, 37, outside his house in Pensacola on Tuesday night, the New York Post reports. Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson announced during a news conference on Thursday that Dennis will not face charges for the incident.
According to the sheriff, Bergan, who lives in Norway, arrived in Florida on Tuesday evening and headed straight for his father-in-law's address on his birthday. Dennis was unaware of his son-in-law's arrival and grew suspicious when he heard someone banging on his backdoor at around 11.30 pm.
When he turned on the porch light, Bergan jumped "out of the shadows" and made a growling sound as he approached Dennis. But the startled father-in-law fired at Bergan and hit him in the chest, killing him instantly. Earlier in the night, another one of Dennis' relatives had banged the front door in a similar manner, Sheriff Johnson noted, and the pair got into a verbal back and forth before the relative left at about 9.30 pm. According to Johnson, no charges were warranted in the mishap, saying it "never should have happened."
"Anybody who is religious out there, you need to pray for this family," Johnson said. "I can't imagine what they're going through... it's horrible."
Nearby residents said they couldn't believe their ears when they heard about the incident. Bergan was married to Dennis's daughter Heather and the couple had a son together. The family lived in Florida before moving to his native Norway.
Friends and loved ones extended their condolences on Facebook, with one of them blaming the death on the prevailing "gun culture in America."
"My childhood buddy, Chris Bergan, was killed accidentally by a family member," one of his friends wrote. "He had no idea he was shooting his son-in-law. I’m convinced gun culture has everything to do with this tragedy. Please think about the way you talk about guns and consider dropping the gun pride."
"Teach your kids they are tools, not toys," he added.