Florida: ‘Acting’ death brings four months in prison

A Bradenton man who shot and killed his best friend while acting out a movie scene has been sentenced to a shorter prison term than state guidelines recommend.

James Brand was found guilty of manslaughter by culpable negligence in May in the July 2000 death of Daniel Squires.

Circuit Judge Marc Gilner sentenced Brand on Friday to three years, four months in prison, plus 10 years probation. He said he departed from the minimum nine-year term because of Brand’s remorse and clean record.

Brand and Squires, 21, both movie buffs, were playing drinking games the night of the shooting. Brand said he was acting out a scene from a movie when he pulled his gun and shot Squires in the chest. He told police he did not think the gun was loaded.

Virginia: Assisted-living home fire forces evacuation

Lightning sparked a fire at a four-story assisted-living home in Norfolk, forcing about 100 residents, some in wheelchairs, to flee, officials said.

Two firefighters suffered heat exhaustion, and some residents of the 205-apartment Cromwell House were taken to hospitals for treatment of smoke inhalation and stress, fire department spokesman Lt. Garry Windley said Saturday.

The number of injured was not immediately known.

The blaze, which began in an attic, broke out about 10 p.m. Friday and was declared under control two hours later. The worst damage was confined to the top floor in one wing, with smoke and water damage reported elsewhere.

Philadelphia: Accomplice’s aim deadly for crime partner

A man fleeing the scene of a robbery accidentally shot his accomplice in the head, police said.

Two men stole the company payroll of a downtown sheet-metal company on Friday, making off with $4,000, police said. One of the men was shot and killed by his accomplice when the accomplice turned and fired shots at workers who were chasing them.

A bandana-mask still partially obscuring his face, the accomplice collapsed and died in an alley alongside the Uni-Pro Inc. sheet-metal company where the robbery took place.