RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — A retiree who accidentally shot a friend to death during an initiation ceremony at a Masonic lodge pleaded guilty Friday to criminally negligent homicide and was sentenced to five years' probation.
Albert Eid, 77, past master of the Long Island lodge, appeared tearful as he told a judge he was sorry for shooting William James.
"William was my friend, and it's terrible," he said.
James, 47, was shot in the face last March. During the initiation, he was seated in a chair, and a small platform with cans was placed near his head. Eid was supposed to fire blanks from about 20 feet away, and another Mason was supposed to knock the cans down with a stick to make James think actual bullets had been fired.
Police said Eid, a retired plumber and a decorated Navy veteran of World War II, mistakenly pulled a loaded .32-caliber handgun from his left pants pocket instead of a .22-caliber pistol with blanks that was in his right pocket.<