Bristol Twp. Man Accidentally Killed Friend, Gets Probation

BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, PA — A Bristol Township man was sentenced to probation Monday for accidentally shooting and killing a lifelong friend who had come to visit him.

Cory Lei Ray, 25, pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter in the Jan. 16 shooting death of Jacob Pfeifer-Johnson, 24, of Philadelphia. The charge is a first-degree misdemeanor.

Ray told investigators that he forgot to remove a loaded magazine from his H&K 9-mm. handgun before racking the slide to clear the weapon. That caused a live round to enter the chamber. When he then tried to de-cock the gun's hammer, he said his thumb slipped, causing the hammer to strike the firing pin.

The handgun fired and struck Pfeifer-Johnson, who was standing 6-8 feet away, according to investigators. He died about 15 hours later.

According to investigators, Ray and Pfeifer-Johnson had just returned to Ray's home on Indigo Road from Neshaminy Mall and were in the kitchen talking about what they'd bought. During the conversation, Ray — who had a valid concealed-carry permit and no prior criminal history — took the handgun out of its holster to try to unload it.

"Mr. Pfeifer-Johnson’s death was a tragedy that would have been avoided if not for the series of errors Mr. Ray made while attempting to unload his handgun and make it safe," said Deputy District Attorney David A. Keightly Jr. "However, given the extensive cooperation and genuine remorse displayed by Mr. Ray, as well as the wishes of the victim’s family, we felt that this was an appropriate sentence."

A no-contest plea is not technically an admission of guilt, prosecutors noted, but rather an acknowledgement that evidence in the case was enough to support a conviction. As a result of the plea, Ray won't be allowed to own or handle a firearm in the future.

In court Monday, he told Judge Jeffrey L. Finley that he and Pfeifer-Johnson had been friends since first grade and that he remains friends with many of the victim's family members. He also said he tried to give his friend first aid after the shooting until help arrived.

"I thought of him more as a brother than just a best friend," Ray said Monday.

Finley accepted the plea and sentenced Ray to an agreed upon one-year term of probation. Ray also must make restitution of $5,133.31 to the Pennsylvania Crime Victims’ Compensation Assistance Fund.