Fox News Flash top headlines for Oct. 3
Fox News Flash top headlines for Oct. 3 are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com
A Florida man who authorities said accidentally shot and killed the son-in-law who jumped out of a bush to surprise him for his birthday will not face criminal charges, police said Thursday.
Christopher Bergan, 37, arrived in Florida from Norway on Tuesday to surprise Richard Dennis, 61, his father-in-law, Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said at a news conference.
Bergan, who is married to Dennis' daughter, landed at an unidentified airport at 11 p.m. and arrived at Dennis' Pensacola-area home around 11:30 p.m., Johnson said.
TEXAS TEEN, 17, ACCIDENTALLY SHOOTS BROTHER DEAD THROUGH BATHROOM DOOR, POLICE SAY
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said no charges will be filed against a Pensacola-area man who shot and killed his son-in-law during a birthday surprise gone horribly wrong. (Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office)
He knocked on the back door and hid in some nearby bushes, Johnson said. When Dennis answered, Bergan jumped out and made a "growling sound" to wish him a happy birthday, authorities said.
"He was totally startled," Johnson said.
Reacting in the heat of the moment, Dennis shot Bergan once in the heart with a handgun, "killing him instantly," Johnson said.
Amber Roland, an attorney with the State Attorney’s Office, said she "determined that this was simply a tragic accident," based on a police investigation.
CLICK HERE FOR THE ALL-NEW FOXBUSINESS.COM
Johnson said a relative of Dennis' banged on his front door earlier that evening and an argument ensued.
"He just had a confrontation at the front of his house. A couple of hours later somebody's banging on his back door ... and then somebody jumps out of the bushes," Johnson said. "You can't say anything against Mr. Dennis for doing what he did."
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
