A 44-year-old Pennsylvania woman is accused of killing her husband during an argument at their home over gun safety, allegedly pointing a firearm at his chest and pulling the trigger to “show him a lesson.”
Dawn Marie Freeman was taken into custody over the weekend and charged with one count of criminal homicide in the death of 40-year-old Bradley Freeman, court records show. She also faces one count each of aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person.
According to a public information report from the Pennsylvania State Police, troopers responded to a residence in the 300 block of Mine Road in Adams Township at approximately 6:37 p.m. on Oct. 4 for a death investigation, after the local police department requested assistance.
During the investigation, police determined that Dawn Freeman and her husband had been involved in a “verbal argument” that resulted in “the discharge of a firearm and the death of Bradley Freeman.” Police said there was no active threat to the public.
A probable cause affidavit obtained by The Tribune-Democrat revealed further details about the shooting. According to the document, Dawn Freeman told investigators that for at least two years her husband habitually left his 9 mm handgun in unsecured locations where children could reach it.
On Sunday, she said, she came home to find the firearm lying on the coffee table in the living room. When she confronted Bradley Freeman about the gun’s dangerous location, he allegedly refused to move it somewhere safe.
Dawn Freeman reportedly said she became “angry” with her husband’s obstinance and grabbed the gun, pointed it at him and pulled the trigger to “show him a lesson.”
After allegedly firing, she reportedly told investigators her husband fell face down onto the living room floor. She then threw the weapon across the room and “screamed.”
Her son, who was home at the time, performed CPR while she called 911. Emergency medical personnel arrived and pronounced Bradley Freeman dead. Cambria County Coroner Jeff Lees performed an autopsy Monday and confirmed that the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the chest.
In a voluntary interview with detectives, Dawn Freeman allegedly said she had “begged” her husband for years to stop leaving his firearm in unsafe locations because she feared “something bad would happen.”
She appeared in court for her arraignment Monday morning and was jailed without bond at Cambria County Prison, court records show.