A Latrobe woman charged with killing her boyfriend said he was accidentally shot as he tried to remove a gun from her hand, according to search warrants.
Lorenza Swiger, 46, was being held without bail Friday in the Westmoreland County Prison, charged with criminal homicide for the Wednesday shooting death of Mark J. Androstic, 43, at their East First Avenue home in Latrobe.
According to a search warrant application filed by city police, Swiger said she and Androstic were in a second-floor bedroom playing the Mafia Wars role-playing game on the Facebook social networking website on separate computers.
After 90 minutes of playing, Swiger said, she went downstairs for a cigarette.
When she returned to the bedroom, Androstic left for a cigarette. Swiger picked up a semiautomatic handgun and began walking downstairs until she and Androstic met in the middle of the staircase.
She retrieved the weapon "for an unknown reason," the warrant application stated.
"Swiger said she met (Androstic) halfway down the steps and he stated, 'Give me that gun, baby,'" Sgt. Jeffrey Regula wrote. "Swiger stated that (Androstic) then grabbed the gun and attempted to remove it from her hand. Swiger stated that the gun fired one time, striking (Androstic) in the chest area."
Androstic was pronounced dead at 12:25 a.m. in Excela Health Latrobe Hospital.
Neighbors said they heard two people running back and forth inside the couple's home, then heard a female voice yell, "No, no, no!" before hearing "a loud 'pop' sound," Regula wrote.
After hearing the noise, neighbors heard a woman make phone calls for help.
Regula said he observed blood on the walls of the stairwell, the dining room floor and Swiger's clothing.
Three search warrants were issued for the home and a Silver Dodge Charger with a Florida registration.
Swiger is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Dec. 13 before Unity District Judge Michael Mahady.
