Police: Killing of Brewster Man in Danbury Was an Accident

New details have surfaced in the case of a Danbury man who was charged with killing his friend at a quiet condominium complex in Danbury earlier this month.

According to court documents that were unsealed on Thursday, September 26, it turns out that the widely publicized story in which 34-year-old David Ramos of Danbury shot and killed his friend, 33-year-old Jason James Lowry of Brewster on Wednesday, September 4, was an accident.

Police say that just one day after allegedly blaming the shooting on another person, Ramos' girlfriend at the time, who police identified as Gabrielle Rega, told investigators that she had smoked crack with both Ramos and Hoffman and that the trio was high at the time of the shooting, which took place in the basement of a Hancock Drive townhouse within Sterling Woods condo complex.

Rega told police that the handgun went off, with a bullet striking Hoffman in the back after Ramos pulled it out to either look at it or wipe it down but didn't realize the safety mechanism was off. Police say that in her original story, Rega told investigators that Hoffman was shot by another man, with whom he had previously gotten into a fight.

David Ramos was taken into custody on Wednesday, September 11, after police say he  "eluded apprehension" for a week after Hoffman's killing. He was reportedly found in a friend's apartment on Scuppo Rd. in Danbury on the same day friends and loved ones gathered for Jason Hoffman's burial service at St. Lawrence O'Toole Cemetery in Brewster.

As of this writing, David Ramos has been charged with first degree manslaughter, interfering with the duties of a police officer and various drug-related offenses. There has not yet been any indication that Gabrielle Rega will face charges.