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Surprise gone wrong: Woman mistakenly shoots and kills friend

Posted at 12:09 PM, Nov 19, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-19 17:05:42-05

A New Jersey woman mistakenly shot and killed her friend who was trying to surprise her on Thursday evening, local media reports.

50-year-old Kelvin Watford was returning home from a trip, and called his friend to let her know he had made it back to New Jersey. Little did she know that Watford was outside of her home.

While on the phone with Watford, the homeowner heard her dog barking outside and grabbed her handgun. When she heard noises from inside her home, she carried her gun over to the stairs and fired at a shadowy figure.

It wasn’t until after she dialed 911 to report an intruder that she realized she had shot her friend. Watford was pronounced dead with gunshot wounds in his chest at the scene.

No charges have been filed, and police are currently investigating the incident.

Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.