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HOBART | Gary police were skeptical about a reported shooting in their city early Thursday morning, and it turns out they had good reason.

It didn't happen there.

Three Hobart men were charged Friday in connection with the death of a friend who apparently asked to be shot while wearing a flak jacket, Hobart police Lt. Leo Finnerty said.

Police believe Daniel J. Wright, 20, formerly of Hobart and more recently of rural Crown Point, wanted to experience a gunshot firsthand before entering the military, but died shortly after a friend pulled the trigger.

"This was not an act of homicide," Finnerty said. "He (Wright) voluntarily put this vest on and wanted to experience what a 20-gauge shotgun would do if he had this vest on."

Hobart resident Robert Lee Stottlemeyer, of 3209 Michigan Ave., is accused of shooting Wright and is charged with reckless homicide. Police said Michael Searle, 18, and Brocke Bieker, 19, are charged with obstruction of justice after police said they drove Wright to the hospital and lied about the shooting.

The two told police they were attempting to purchase alcohol in Gary when Wright stepped out of the vehicle and was shot.

"This incident was totally in Hobart. These kids had everything to do with this boy's death and were lying through their teeth. They made up the entire thing," Lake County Coroner David Pastrick said.

Approximately two dozen officers from Gary and Hobart worked throughout the night Thursday, but were unable to confirm Searle and Bieker's story.

Gary police knocked on doors and interviewed people walking in the area where the shooting reportedly occurred, Gary Detective Tom Decanter said.

Decanter said he interviewed the two men at the hospital and received conflicting statements that made police suspicious about the case.

The men returned to the Gary Police Department later that afternoon and told investigators they were in Gary searching for cocaine rather than alcohol, he said.

At roughly 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Hobart police received a call from someone who witnessed the shooting and led police to a field at the 6700 block of Liverpool Road where the shooting apparently occurred, Finnerty said.

Police recovered a shotgun, flak jacket and traces of blood from the scene, he said.

A witness told police Wright put on the flak jacket "and asked for someone to shoot him because he needed to get used to being shot because he was going to the military and going to Iraq," according to an affidavit.

Police said Stottlemeyer agreed to shoot Wright at close range and the man fell to the ground. Searle shot a second round into the windshield of the vehicle to make the fabricated story more believable, police said.

Pastrick said the round left a gaping 2-inch wound and caused damage to Wright's heart and lungs.

A toxicology report will be filed next week to determine if drugs or alcohol were involved in the incident, Pastrick said.

Wright's relatives couldn't be reached for comment on Friday.

Wright, a Hobart High School graduate, worked at Uno's Chicago Bar and Grill in Hobart.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the Southlake Worship Center, 3440 W. 61st Ave., Hobart. Visitation is from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday at Rees Funeral Home, 600 W. Old Ridge Road.

Submitted on 02/12/2005

Submitted by: site.seer@verizon.net
Reference: http://nwitimes.com/, 2/12/05

Copyright © 2005 DarwinAwards.com

Daniel said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
This time, I'll bite. Unlike the last guy, this one didn't test the vest first, just assumed that it would work. I'll bet he didn't read the fine print.

Jack said:
Maybe Toss: Lacks Excellence
I'm not so sure about this one. It still sounds like every other "I have a flak jacket - shoot me or stab me!" story.

Charles said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
I'll agree with Daniel on this one. Flak jackets are not designed to stop shotguns at close range... and it is stupid to assume that they are.

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