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Day 2 of Luke Bryant Trial: Bryant Admits to Playing Deadly Gun Game with Victim Before Shooting


Belfast - Jurors in the case of a man from Knox on trial for shooting and killing his best friend heard Wednesday about the gun games the two used to play.

Luke Bryant, 20, is charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of Tyler Seaney, who was 19 years old. Seaney died from a gunshot wound to the neck last February.

Bryant said the shooting was an accident, that he was clearing his shotgun and it went off as Seaney walked into the room.

But state prosecutor, Leane Zainea, has called Seaney's death the result of a deadly game, where the two would point unloaded guns at each other and pull the trigger.

Wednesday, jurors heard a recording of Bryant's initial police interview, during which Bryant said, "I was clearing the shotgun when he came out and it went off. I was talking to him, I was kind of distracted."

Maine State Police detectives questioned him about this 'game', and Bryant admitted to playing it in the past. "It's more for the shock factor than its actual effectiveness against anything," he told them.

As the detectives continued to press him for more information, Bryant said, "I didn't deny that we don't. I mess around and yeah it is reckless, but I mean, we trust each other with it."

Defense attorney, Steven Peterson, pointed out that there appeared to be gun cleaning supplies among the evidence collected, which could help corroborate Bryant's claim that he was clearing the gun when it fired.

A state police detective testified he noticed a pouch at the scene that looked like it would hold the materials for cleaning a gun. Zainea was quick to counter that the pouch did not look like it had been opened.

The state is expected to rest their case Thursday, following the testimony of State Police Det. Jason Andrews, who responded to Bryant's home the night Seaney was killed.

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