Suspect in Stoughton apartment shooting charged with reckless homicide; victim identified
STOUGHTON, Wis. — A 19-year-old Stoughton man has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide stemming from a shooting at an apartment in the city on New Year’s Eve.
Isaiah Ruffins made an initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon, where he was given a $10,000 signature bond, online court records show.
According to a criminal complaint, Ruffins said his gun misfired as he set it down on a bar between the kitchen and living room of his apartment in the 300 block of Olson Court just after 5 p.m. on December 31. The resulting shot hit 19-year-old Fredrick Davis, Jr., of Beloit.
RELATED: One teen killed, one teen arrested in shooting at Stoughton apartment
Davis later died at a local hospital from his injuries. The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office released his name earlier Tuesday.
According to the complaint, Ruffins told a detective his finger was not “fully” on the trigger at the time the shot was fired but that he knew he was pointing a loaded gun at Davis. The two and another friend were hanging out at the time.
Before the shooting, Ruffins and Davis were talking about how the gun appeared to have something wrong with it, possibly with the firing pistol. According to the complaint, the gun was a “ghost gun” that Ruffins had built using parts he bought online.
Ruffins, according to the complaint, said he was not sure if the issue was because he had put the gun together wrong or some other reason.
The complaint said Ruffins told a detective the gun had misfired once or twice before at a gun range.
A status conference in the case is scheduled for March 7.
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