GULFPORT, Fla. (WFLA) — A man shot and killed his twin brother while they joked around while sitting in a parked car at their home in Gulfport, Florida Sunday night, police said.
The Gulfport Police Department said twin brothers Mathias and Thomas Parkinson-Freeman were in the vehicle with a mutual friend when the shooting happened around 7 p.m.
Police said there was no indication of any sort of conflict, and believe the trio were talking and laughing together in the minutes before the shot. At one point, officers said Mathias pulled out a gun and pointed it at his brother. Thomas responded by pulling out his own gun and pointing it back, pulling the trigger and fatally shooting Mathias in the face, police said.
A pipe with marijuana residue was found in the vehicle, but it’s unknown if any of the men were under the influence.
Detectives concluded that Thomas was not acting in self defense when he fired at Mathias, because he reportedly told detectives he was not in fear and did not believe Mathias had any intention of shooting him. He told police he reacted automatically based on training, and does not know why he did so.
Thomas was charged with manslaughter, a second degree felony.