'I'm here to turn myself in': Ohio man confesses to shooting friend dead in chilling bodycam footage
MIAMISBURG, OHIO: Brian E Mason, an Ohio man who was living out of his car, approached the police and admitted to them that he had killed his friend in what detectives referred to as an "unusual case." He was then placed under arrest and charged with murder.
Mason, 58, was seen on body camera footage in Miamisburg, Ohio, telling police that he accidentally killed his friend Michelle L Elliott, 57, on Sunday, March 26 while teaching her how to operate his .40-caliber rifle. He claimed that following the fatal shooting, he fled in a pickup vehicle after wrapping Elliott's body in a blanket out of panic, according to DailyMail. He spent the remainder of the evening driving about Montgomery County and parking at several gas stations before visiting the Miamisburg Police Department almost 24 hours later.
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'I shot her in the chest'
Mason can be seen approaching an officer on Monday, March 27 in police body camera footage that was uploaded online. He walks up to the officer wearing a blue sweatshirt and carrying a water bottle and says, "I'm here to turn myself in." He then informs the police about the incident and claims that ever since he "has ben running around scared."
The police put Mason in handcuffs and inquired as to what happened to his friend. Mason replies, "They're deceased," adding that he was doubtful if anybody else knew about her death. Police then sent sheriff's deputies to check on Elliott at her residence.
Mason said to the officer, "I was showing an old friend of mine how to use this gun that she asked for and it went off, and I shot her in the chest." He apparently even admitted to officers that he had been living in his car and was assisting Elliott with something at her home when the incident took place.
Deputies from Miami County were sent to North Montgomery County Line Road in Union Township's rural area, where they discovered Elliott lying on the ground in a pool of blood with what seemed to be a gunshot wound, according to WHIO. The deputies used force to gain access into the residence and once inside, they discovered Elliott's body between the living room and kitchen.
Deputies rushed back to the Miamisburg Police Department to question Mason. He claimed Elliott told him she "wanted a different firearm to have at her household because she felt unsafe," so he demonstrated his .40-caliber rifle to her, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Dayton Daily News.
What are charges against Brian E Mason?
Mason has now been charged with murder and is presently being held on a $1 million bond, according to WHIO, while detectives continue their investigation into Elliott's death. Miami County Sheriff Dave Duchak stated that the police have not received any reports of violence at the address.
Given Mason's apparent confession, Duchak claimed the case was "unusual," but investigators are still examining Mason and Elliott's relationship, according to WHIO. Mason had revealed that they were longtime friends from high school. A case will be submitted to the Miami County Prosecutors' Office for review of formal charges after the investigation is finished.