Police in northeast Mississippi have charged an 18-year-old woman with manslaughter, saying she accidentally shot and killed her roommate on Wednesday, because she didn’t realize a gun was loaded.

Aberdeen Police Chief Henry Randle said Amiyah Verner shot 26-year-old Robert Jackson at an apartment in Aberdeen, telling police she didn’t understand how the gun worked. Jackson died before paramedics arrived.

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports the 18-year-old Verner remained jailed without bail on Thursday, waiting to see a judge. It’s unclear if she has a lawyer to represent her.

Randle said that Verner thought there were no bullets in the gun because the magazine wasn’t inserted. However, there was a bullet in the chamber.

“That’s the round that killed the young man,” Randle said. “Freak accident, but we’ve still got a dead body.”
Verner, who is originally from Hamilton, had just moved in with Jackson, Randle said.

“It’s a sad situation because we’ve got two losses on both sides of the families,” he said. “I still think it’s important that people put guns up, and this is a prime example. Even though you’re of age, you still don’t properly know how to handle a gun.”