St. Pete roommates shoot at each other with what they thought were unloaded guns

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — A man is dead after he and his roommate shot at each other with what they thought were unloaded guns on Sunday evening.

Just before 5 p.m., the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting death at 8198 49th Avenue North in St. Petersburg.

Deputies found Kevin Bishop, 50, on the floor with a gunshot wound to his chest. His roommate, William Tompkins, 57, was also in the home.

Officials said the two men were drinking alcohol when Bishop showed Tompkins several of his firearms, which he claimed were unloaded.

At one point, the men both pointed firearms at themselves and each other. According to the sheriff’s office, they pulled the trigger but did not fire.

Detectives said when Bishop grabbed a Glock 21 from Tompkins, Tompkins released his fingers from the gun and a bullet went into Bishop’s chest.

Bishop was taken to a nearby hospital where he later died.

This remains an ongoing investigation.

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