Lakewood man shot his friend, buried gun, charges say

LAKEWOOD, Wash. — A man who allegedly shot and killed his friend after a drunken argument buried the pistol outside a Lakewood apartment, according to court documents.

Curtis Davis IV, 21, pleaded not guilty Thursday to second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter in the death of 18-year-old Rodney Chandler.

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​He was ordered jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail. 

Charging papers give this account:

Davis, Chandler and another friend spent part of Wednesday afternoon drinking and wrestling outside an apartment in the 10000 block of Meadow Drive.

Neighbors reported seeing the men with their shirts off. Two of them were arguing and preparing to fight.

Davis called 911 about 5 p.m. and told dispatchers he'd been awakened by two gunshots and found Chandler bleeding from a wound to the chest.

He told police Chandler shot himself. A .22-caliber rifle was found next to his body.

After being interviewed by detectives, Davis said he shot Chandler during an argument. He said Davis shot at him with the rifle, so he returned fire with a .380-caliber pistol he was carrying.

It's unknown what the fight was about.

Police found multiple shell casings from both guns in the house, as well as several bullet holes in the walls.

The pistol, which Davis told police he'd buried outside the apartment building, was dug up and taken as evidence.

For more on this story, visit The News Tribune

The News Tribune