A Pennsylvania woman is accused of fatally shooting her husband during an argument about gun safety, with investigators alleging she said she fired the trigger to 'show him a lesson'.
Charges and Incident Details
Dawn Freeman, 44, faces charges of criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and recklessly endangering another person following the incident at her home in Adams Township, which left her husband Bradley dead. According to a criminal affidavit obtained by local news channel WJAC, Bradley, 40, was found at the couple's home with a single gunshot wound to the chest after police responded to a 911 call. A 9mm Smith and Wesson handgun was also found in the living room of the property.
Authorities say Freeman admitted to fatally shooting her husband when questioned, following a row over him 'leaving his gun out in the open'. Investigators say she had repeatedly begged her husband about leaving firearms unsecured, fearing for the safety of her children, and that when she asked him to move it to a safe location he refused. According to WJAC, she then picked up the gun, pointed it at Bradley's chest, and pulled the trigger.
Aftermath and Court Proceedings
After Bradley fell to the ground, Freeman threw the gun across the room and called 911, while one of her sons performed CPR on Bradley as emergency responders were dispatched to the house. However, he was later pronounced dead, with Cambria County Coroner Jeff Lees confirming he died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.
Freeman is being held in custody following the shooting and is due in court on October 15.
Previous Incident
The shooting comes a year after a nine-year-old boy tragically shot his five-year-old sister using an AR-style rifle that their dad allegedly left in the boy's bedroom. Layla Ramos was shot in the torso on June 3, 2025, and was later pronounced dead in hospital. Her father, Irvin Ramos-Jimenez, 33, was later indicted in connection with her death, after it emerged he left his rifle high on a shelf in the closet of his son's room in Phoenix, Arizona.
