INDIANAPOLIS — A 21-year-old Hancock County intake officer has been charged with reckless homicide following the shooting death of his 19-year-old roommate.
According to IMPD, officers were called to the 7800 block Carlton Arms Drive just after 8 p.m. on May 8.
When they arrived, they found 19-year-old Austin Bunn suffering a gunshot wound to his head. Bunn was taken to a local hospital where he died on May 9.
At the scene, Eric Salinas told officers he was taking the gun to Bunn’s room for help with cleaning the gun and when he went to hand Bunn the gun while he laid in his bed, he heard a pop.
Salinas told police he immediately saw Bunn “leaking” and began to render aid, according to court documents.
When investigators arrived, Salinas gave a different statement to them, saying he pulled the trigger while saying “Hey, Bunn”. Salinas had removed the magazine and thought the chamber was clear.
Investigators spoke with Salinas girlfriend and two separate friends of Bunn who gave differing accounts of the relationship between the two.
Salinas girlfriend told police there had been no relationship struggles between the two that she had seen since moving in back in January, according to court documents.
Bunn’s friends told police there had been growing tension with the two about Salinas girlfriend moving in and a lack of privacy they provided him.
Bunn was an employee of the Pendleton Correctional Facility for the Indiana Department of Corrections and Salinas was an intake officer at the Hancock County Jail, according to court documents.
Salinas was required to be armed due to this role at the jail. In his training, he learned that all guns are to be treated as always loaded and you should not point your gun at anything you do not intend to destroy.
