On the evening of March 16, 2016, 26-year-old Jemichal Delloyd Hardy was shot and killed inside a San Antonio home he shared with his girlfriend Raven and her children. Anthony Arlanders Ross, who also lived in the house, had been talking with Jemichal for 15 to 20 minutes before retrieving a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun. Raven testified she heard Ross load the gun; the weapon discharged and struck Jemichal in the face, killing him instantly.

Police found the handgun and a magazine some distance from Jemichal’s body. Detectives reported gunshot residue on Jemichal’s hands, and a firearms expert said the handgun required a heavy 10.5-pound trigger pull and was not mechanically defective—concluding it could only fire if the trigger was pulled. The medical examiner ruled the manner of death homicide after an autopsy showed the bullet entered below the right eyebrow and exited the back of the head.

Ross gave several accounts, at one point saying the gun discharged as he took it back from Jemichal. Detectives found inconsistencies in his statements, and Ross later acknowledged reckless handling of the loaded gun. The jury convicted him of manslaughter and he received a ten-year sentence. Jemichal Delloyd Hardy was born October 9, 1989; his funeral was held March 26, 2016, in Houston.