Deputies: Construction worker on roof dies after being shot in Riverview

RIVERVIEW, Fla. (FOX 13) - A construction worker has died after being shot while on a roof of a home in Hillsborough County Wednesday.

Deputies said they received a 911 call about a shooting on the 8900 block of Riverlachen Way in Riverview at 1:45 p.m. Investigators at the scene said a 43-year-old construction worker had pulled up to the home and when he was transitioning his gun from his waistband to his pocket, he slipped on debris outside the home and the gun fired, hitting  a 44-year-old man on the roof.

The shooter told deputies that was his longtime friend.

“The shooter is cooperating with detectives, giving us a full statement at this point. There was another witness that was the shooter’s son that was on top of the roof providing work at the same time,” said Maj. Frank Losat of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

The man ended up dying at the hospital.

“I’m very sorry this happened. It’s such a freak accident,” said neighbor Brenda Bingham, who spoke to the victim and the shooter just hours before. “I wondered about it because, just 30 minutes prior to it happening, we were down here. They were on that driveway and I was on mine and we were conversing back and forth.”

Even though the shooter calls what happened an accident, deputies said they are still investigating a homicide and have a message for people who carry guns.

“If you’re going to carry a gun, you need to be familiar with it. You need to know how to use it. You need to know if you’re gun has a safety on it,” said Losat. “Have the proper training if you’re going to carry a gun on your person to prevent accidents from happening.”

Deputies said they are going through the evidence to figure out whether to file any charges.

The home was undergoing some remodeling, and neighbors said the no one was living inside the home.