Man Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter For Shooting Death Of Friend

Cory Lei Ray and Jacob Pfeifer-Johnson were lifelong friends until a bullet ended that.

Pfeifer-Johnson, 24, of Philadelphia, died hours after emergency surgery last Thursday morning at St. Mary Medical Center. His death came after a bullet pierced his chest inside Ray’s family home in the 80 block of Indigo Road in Bristol Township last Wednesday.

According to police, Ray, 24, of Levittown, told investigators he had removed his H and K P2000 9mm handgun from its holster and was attempting to clear the firearm when it went off and a bullet struck Pfeifer-Johnson. He said he did not realize he forgot to drop the magazine and that caused another round to enter the chamber.

“Cory said that when he went to de-cock the hammer, he had his left thumb on the hammer while pulling the trigger and his thumb slipped off the hammer, causing the weapon to fire,” Bristol Township Detective William O’Keefe and Bucks County Detective David Coyne wrote in court papers.

After the shooting, police said, Ray’s mother called 9-1-1 to report the incident.

Medics from the Levittown-Fairless Hills Rescue Squad arrived to the shooting scene last Wednesday around 2:20 p.m. and found Pfeifer-Johnson bleeding on the floor and making comments about dying, court papers stated.

Near the wounded young man, a shell casing and live round were on the floor as well as two handguns on a dining room table, police said.

Ray’s mother told an officer she witnessed what happened and said the gun fired as her son was unloading the firearm.

Leading up to the shooting, Ray and Pfeifer-Johnson were returning from the Neshaminy Mall in Bensalem.

An autopsy confirmed Pfeifer-Johnson died of a gunshot wound to the chest.

Lou Busico, who is Ray’s attorney, told LevittownNow.com that the two men were “like brothers” and the incident was a “horrible accident.” He added that Ray’s family sends their condolences to Pfeifer-Johnson’s family.

“This is not a crime. This is a horrible accident between two young men,” Busico said.

In court papers, authorities put that Ray’s actions caused his friend’s death in a “reckless or grossly negligent manner.”

“Mr. Pfeifer-Johnson’s death was 100 percent avoidable,” Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said in a statement. “The tragic message here is: keep your guns safe.”

Ray was arraigned at 1 p.m. Friday by on-call District Judge Robert Wagner with involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person. He was released on $500,000 unsecured bail.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.