Charl E. Hertzog, 23, was shot and killed inside a home on Duroc Avenue in Prospect, Kentucky, on the night of Monday, October 2, 2023. Officers responding around 11:30 p.m. found Hertzog with a gunshot wound; emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

The next day a 20-year-old man, James Small, turned himself in to Louisville Metro Police homicide detectives and admitted involvement in the shooting. Small told investigators he had been drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana, and said the rifle he was cleaning accidentally discharged, striking Hertzog. He also confessed to fleeing the scene and disposing of the rifle. Small was charged with manslaughter and tampering with physical evidence and pleaded not guilty in court; his attorney described the shooting as an accident.

What details about the night of October 2 might help clarify whether the shooting was accidental or criminal?