In a tragic reminder that mixing drugs and firearms never ends well, what started as a casual hangout between friends in Kearns, Utah, spiraled into a deadly game that left one man dead and another facing serious criminal charges.
The Night Started Like Any Other…
It was just another Saturday night when 23-year-old Ashton Jonathan Mann and his friend got together to smoke marijuana.
Around 8 p.m., their conversation drifted to guns — a discussion that would later prove fatal.
What happened next sounds like something out of a movie scene gone horrifically wrong. The pair moved their conversation to a detached garage, where they began handling two different handguns.
That’s when Mann’s friend made a bold — and ultimately deadly — claim: he said he could dodge a bullet.
Let’s be clear: Nobody can actually dodge bullets. But fueled by marijuana and what was likely a false sense of security, the two friends embarked on what they thought would be a harmless game.
A “Game” That Never Should Have Happened
According to police documents, Mann and his friend took what they thought were proper precautions, allegedly unloading both guns before beginning their deadly game.
Mann would point a firearm at his friend, who would then try to “jump out of the way” before Mann pulled the trigger.
They repeated this dangerous dance approximately six times.
The Final Pull of the Trigger
On the last attempt, everything went catastrophically wrong.
The gun fired, striking Mann’s friend directly in the chest. In those crucial moments after the shooting, the victim was conscious enough to ask Mann to call 911, which he did.
Mann then tried to help his friend until first responders arrived at the scene.
Despite these efforts, the victim was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
When police searched the residence, they found exactly what you’d expect: two handguns, ammunition, magazines, and drug paraphernalia consistent with marijuana use.
Mann was arrested just after 4 a.m. on Sunday, February 2, and now faces second-degree felony manslaughter charges and an additional third-degree felony charge related to firearms.
The Reality Check We All Need
This tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of several harsh truths: Guns are not toys.
Drugs and firearms never mix. And no, you can’t dodge bullets like Neo in “The Matrix.”
What might seem like a fun game while under the influence can end in irreversible tragedy.
As the legal process moves forward, it’s worth noting that charges are allegations only, and all arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.