He pointed a gun at his best friend and fired. Lexington man lives with aftermath.
A Lexington 20-year-old will spend four months in jail and five years on probation after he admitted to unintentionally shooting and killing his friend last year, according to court records.
Jarred Lockard, who shot and killed 19-year-old Patrick Harrison Stover in August of 2020, pleaded guilty after his manslaughter charge was amended down to reckless homicide. Lockard’s attorney asked for probation, saying the shooting was an accident and the two were best friends. But a Fayette Circuit Court judge felt more punishment was necessary.
“I might have called him my best friend, but he was my brother,” Lockard said in court Thursday. “And if I could trade places with him right now, I most definitely would.”
Lockard and Stover were handling a gun when the shooting happened. Lockard “believed the firearm was unloaded” when he pointed it at Stover and pulled the trigger, a Lexington police officer wrote in an arrest citation.
The shooting happened around 10:45 p.m. on Aug. 23 in the 1100 block of Centre Parkway, according to court records. Police found Stover on the kitchen floor with a gunshot wound to his chest, according to court records.
Stover was unresponsive and barely breathing, according to court records. The Lexington Fire Department took him to the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital, where he later died.
Lockard was on scene when cops showed up and stayed at the shooting scene, police said at the time. He told police the shooting was accidental. He was arrested and charged with manslaughter.
Lockard’s attorney, Eric Ray, previously filed a motion asking Judge Ernesto Scorsone to grant his client probation without any jail time. Ray argued that Lockard has suffered grief and trauma after the shooting and hopes to “use his terrible decision to motivate others.”
“It is undisputed this was an accident,” Ray wrote in court records. “There is no evidence of a disagreement or fight between the two parties.”
Ray also said in court Thursday that Lockard cooperated fully after the shooting.
“Mr. Lockard had his girlfriend call 911, stayed at the scene, ...provided his phone, went back to the police station when he was called, sat down and spoke with police,” Ray said.
Prosecutors didn’t object to Ray’s request for probation. But Scorsone said the “horrible outcome” needed to result in additional punishment.
Lockard’s five-year probation is subject to several conditions: He has to complete a GED program, avoid any additional criminal offenses and he can’t have a gun. He’s also ordered to pay more than $16,500 in restitution, which is the cost of medical bills incurred by Stover’s family.
Police determined the gun used in the shooting was stolen, according to court records. Lockard was subsequently charged with receiving stolen property, but that charge was dropped as part of his plea agreement.
“This is undoubtedly a tragic and heartbreaking case,” Ray wrote in court records. “The victim losing his life is clearly serious and Jarred does not want to make light of that.”
Ray said Lockard had a job with a moving company and had been working more than 40 hours per week. Lockard has been out of jail on bond since Sept. 18, 2020, according to court records.
Scorsone ordered Lockard to self-report to the Lexington-Fayette County Detention Center on Dec. 17. He granted Lockard a month so he could try to ensure he can keep his job despite spending four months in jail. The Fayette County jail doesn’t currently allow work release due to COVID-19 concerns, according to jail officials.
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