On the evening of September 11, 2004, 24-year-old Shawn Fitzsimmons was fatally wounded at an apartment on Horton Street in Lewiston, Maine. Fitzsimmons had been drinking with friends when a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol belonging to the tenant was passed around. While the magazine was in the gun, it discharged a single bullet that struck Fitzsimmons in the head. He was taken to Central Maine Medical Center and died of his injuries.

The Maine State Police took over the investigation and initially described the shooting as a tragic accident. Nearly a month later, on October 6, 2004, an Androscoggin County grand jury indicted 19-year-old Brandon Knight on a charge of reckless or negligent manslaughter with the use of a firearm; the charge carried a possible sentence of up to 30 years. Friends of Knight were reported to be distraught and remorseful.

Are there witnesses who were at that gathering or anyone with information about how the weapon came to discharge that night?