Celebrity dog trainer's assistant is KILLED in freak 'accident' during filming of promo video involving gun
A Washington State aspiring dog trainer was shot and killed by his celebrity boss while filming an advertisement.
Curtice Gordon, 23, was killed on June 3 while working at the Kraftwerk K9 German Shephard training facility, reported The Chronicle.
His boss, Wayne Curry, 64, has been charged with manslaughter after allegedly shooting Gordon while they were recording a promotional video.
Thurston County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a report of a person who had been shot around 10:28 a.m.
Investigators determined a group of individuals had been filming training videos involving gunfire.
'During this activity, one of the handlers fired a weapon loaded with live ammunition,' the sheriff's office said. 'Tragically, [Gordon] was struck by a round and died as a result.'
According to a court affidavit, first responders found Gordon not breathing and suffering from a gunshot wound to the face. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
'[Gordon] was struck in the face near his nose by a stray round from Wayne's weapon and lost his life as a result,' the document said.
Investigators stated that the incident occurred during a video and photography shoot for an advertisement for Kraftwerk K9 that Curry had organized.
Gordon, who was a manager at Kraftwerk K9 and regularly appeared in ads, was tasked with 'agitating the dog, using a whip for noise and wearing a bite sleeve,' according to the affidavit.
Curry allegedly wanted to show that his dogs would not react to gunfire and directed Gordon to about 30 feet to the left of a target he shot at.
'[Curry] said in the video, the dog is supposed to bark in a certain direction, and he'd shoot the target in a different direction, and then the dog would go and bite the guy with the sleeve,' prosecutors said.
Court documents state that, 'At one point, the dog reacted from a down position to standing and jerked Wayne's body as he was handling the gun. The next thing everyone knew, they heard a groan from Curtice, and he collapsed.'
Curry allegedly told investigators, 'When he saw Curtice drop, he said he wasn't sure if he did it to fake it because they were making a movie.'
Thurston County prosecutors charged Curry with manslaughter, claiming he acted recklessly by using live rounds in the demonstration.
According to the affidavit, Curry denied having any intention of hurting his employee.
His heartbroken mother, Mandy Gordon, told local news station KING 5 her son dreamed of becoming a dog trainer.
'He was literally perfect if you're going to make a man. A provider, a protector of women, children, and animals,' she said.
'This was not an accident. People can call it unintentional, but not an accident. When you drink and drive and kill someone, that's not an accident. You made a choice to do something that could harm someone else.'
She said Gordon's fiancée, Leira Wilson, had warned her son to be careful during the shoot because Curry had a history of jokingly pointing weapons at people and dogs.
'[Wilson] actually told him the night before, "Don't let him point that gun at you," said Mandy Gordon. 'She just kept telling him, "Be careful. Be careful."'
Curry was released from jail on $25,000 bail and has an arraignment hearing scheduled for Tuesday.
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