A chilling body camera video shows the moment 58-year-old Brian Mason approached an officer in the Miamisburg Police Department parking lot in Ohio on March 27, confessing that he had accidentally shot and killed “an old friend” the previous night. The video was recently released by WHIO.
Mason tells the officer that he had been demonstrating to his friend how to use a gun when it accidentally discharged, striking her in the chest. Visibly shaken and holding a water bottle, Mason admits to the officer that he had been “running around scared” since the incident.
The police officer proceeds to detain Mason based on his confession and inquires about the victim’s condition. Mason confirms that the victim, 57-year-old Michelle Elliot, is deceased. He provides the location of the shooting, which took place at a friend’s house on Montgomery County Line Road in Union Township, Miami County.
Additional officers arrive at the scene and question Mason about his decision to turn himself in at their department in the Dayton suburb. Mason explains that he had been driving around aimlessly, living out of his truck and motels. He admits to being frightened since the incident occurred, which led him to voluntarily turn himself in.
After informing the officers that there was a weapon in his truck, Mason was taken inside the police department for further questioning. Authorities then alerted the Miami County Sheriff’s Office, who dispatched deputies to the scene of the shooting, approximately 25 miles away.
Upon arrival, the deputies received no response from inside the residence. They observed blood through a window, prompting them to make a forced entry. Inside, they discovered the deceased adult female with an apparent gunshot wound.
Following their interview with Mason, detectives took him into custody and transported him to the Miami County Jail. He was charged with murder and has since pleaded not guilty. Mason is currently being held on a $1 million bond.