He Was Fishing, Then Came a Barrage of Bullets

Family members are shocked after police declined to press charges in a shooting death at one of South Florida's top illegal shooting ranges. Lawrence Ramdass, 46, was fishing at Holey Land Wildlife Management Area in Palm Beach County in July when he was struck in the chest as some 15 bullets came "out of nowhere," reports the Washington Post. Only they didn't: After a three-month investigation, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office says the bullet that killed Ramdass came from a .45-caliber gun two men were firing into a berm covered in "brush and tall grass," unaware Ramdass was boating on the other side about a third of a mile away, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The paper notes 125 people have been caught illegally firing guns in the same area, all but three receiving warnings.

Ricardo Galvan and Christian Salcedo were questioned by a state wildlife officer in the minutes before the shooting but reportedly said they had only fireworks. Tracked down after Ramdass' death, the men admitted to firing several guns and "Galvan voluntarily surrendered his .45 caliber gun for testing," say police, who confirmed the fatal bullet came from the weapon. However, both men were unsure who was responsible and "expected that no one would, or even could be behind the berm that they were shooting at," a rep for the sheriff's office says, referring to the incident as "a tragic accident." Ramdass' sister says she's shocked and disappointed that no charges were filed. "There are signs out there saying it's illegal to shoot," she says. "Anyone that fires a weapon, you're responsible for your actions, accident or no accident." (More shooting death stories.)