Man ‘standing watch’ outside home kills an acquaintance by accident, Florida cops say

A man standing guard over his sister’s home is facing a manslaughter charge on accusations of fatally shooting someone who came to help him, according to investigators in west Florida.

It happened Tuesday, Oct. 1, just west of Pensacola in the Panhandle, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said in an Oct. 2 news release.

“The 44-year-old victim and his acquaintance, David Kueker, felt as though they were being threatened by an outside party. They were standing watch from the threat outside of Kueker’s sister’s residence,” the sheriff’s office reports.

“Kueker got into the backseat of a vehicle and fell asleep. His acquaintance, after realizing Kueker had fallen asleep, approached the car unarmed and with the use of a walker. Kueker awakened and saw a figure standing outside the window of the car. At this time, he fired one shot through the car window.”

The man died at the scene, officials said. His identity was not released and investigators have not said why the two men felt their lives were in danger.

Escambia Sheriff Chip Simmons said 41-year-old Kueker’s actions were “grossly negligent,” resulting in him being arrested and charged. Court records show he lives at a Pensacola home about 6 miles northeast of the crime scene.

This story was originally published October 3, 2024 at 5:13 AM with the headline "Man ‘standing watch’ outside home kills an acquaintance by accident, Florida cops say."