‘Let’s play Russian roulette’: Ohio Man Charged with Murder After Alleged Russian Roulette Shooting
Background: News footage of Omarion Horne at his arraignment on Oct. 10 (WLWT). Inset: Rachel Counts (Wilson Mortuary).
An Ohio man has been charged with murder after prosecutors say he shot his friend in the chest while suggesting they “play Russian roulette.”
Omarion Horne, 23, appeared in court Friday for his arraignment in connection with the death of 23-year-old Rachel Counts. According to a Cincinnati Police Department press release, the fire department responded to calls of a shooting on the night of Oct. 5. When first responders arrived, they found Counts with a gunshot wound and pronounced her dead at the scene.
Horne was arrested the following day. During Friday’s court appearance, prosecutors told the judge that Horne had proposed to his friends, “Let’s play Russian roulette.” Local NBC affiliate WLWT reported that Horne, Counts, and their significant others were playing a card game at a home in Cincinnati’s Winton Hills neighborhood when the incident allegedly occurred. Prosecutors said Horne produced a gun, removed all the rounds except one, and made the deadly suggestion.
Prosecutors allege that Horne first held the gun to his own head before pointing it at Counts and pulling the trigger, striking her in the chest. During the arraignment, Judge William Mallory remarked, “It’s sad that people use a firearm as a toy, because if these circumstances are true, this is truly a tragedy.”
Mallory set Horne’s bail at $1 million. He remains in custody at the Hamilton County Jail, with his next court date scheduled for Oct. 16.
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