The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Staff Reports

Posted: Monday, January 01, 2018 12:29 PM
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STATE: Kentucky Man Blames BBQ Sauce For Shooting Death of 8-Year Old

A Kentucky man who allegedly said barbecue sauce caused the shooting death of an 8-year-old boy has taken a plea deal.

Local news outlets report 21-year-old Elgin Anders pleaded guilty on Monday to reckless homicide in the shooting of 8-year-old Andre Lamont O'Neal Jr. Anders faces one to five years in prison.

Anders was charged with fatally shooting Andre in a Louisville home on Jan. 9, 2016. Anders told WDRB-TV that he'd been grilling that day and had barbecue sauce on his fingers. He says that while trying to put the gun away it slipped out of his grasp and shot Andre.

Evidence filed in court records different accounts of the shooting. A child witness says Anders pointed the gun before it fired.

Anders will be sentenced on Sept. 12.