CASPER — The 18-year-old charged with involuntary manslaughter accidentally shot a 16-year-old boy in the head Wednesday while smoking pot and playing a video game, according to a police affidavit of the incident.
Luka Rasmussen was charged with the felony crime Thursday afternoon in Casper Circuit Court, and the affidavit paints a story of teen drug use and carelessness that led to a Glock 22 pistol resting on his right thigh going off.
In the aftermath, the father of one of the teens in the group and owner of the house reportedly told Rasmussen to “get rid of the gun,” according to the affidavit, which adds Rasmussen said he had never fired the gun before.
The Natrona County coroner’s office released the victim’s name as Riley Jacob Sears of Casper.
A preliminary hearing in the case has been set for Feb. 20.
Rasmussen told police he went to the home in the 4000 block of East 8thStreet after being picked up at about 3 p.m. by a 17-year-old by identified as “TW,” who lives at the home. He had just completed a shift at Wendy’s.
Later in the evening, they went to pick up Sears and brought him back to the house to play a video game on the second-floor bedroom of the residence, the affidavit says.
While in bedroom, Rasmussen said all three smoked marijuana from a vape pen that Sears brought and also smoked marijuana flower from either TW or his father at the home. He told police that the father knew they were smoking marijuana.
“Rasmussen stated that he used marijuana weekly,” the affidavit states.
Rasmussen told police he brought the pistol with him and had bought it from a 20-year-old friend. He had never shot the pistol and that when he bought it, it came with ammunition and an extended magazine.
“Rasmussen stated that he had never fired the gun before,” the affidavit states.
He also told police the weapon had never misfired, “but sometimes when he cleared the chamber, the round would get stuck in the firearm and would not eject until he pulled the slide back further.”
As the trio sat in the room, Rasmussen said he decided to take a photo of his pistol. He pulled it out of his waistband and stood up to take the photo and then “got distracted by conversation.”
Round Struck Victim’s Head
He sat back down with the pistol in his right hand and placed it on his right thigh when the pistol off. The round struck Sears in the head and he fell out of the chair, the affidavit states.
“Rasmussen and TW began to shake (Sears) to try and wake him up,” the affidavit states. “Rasmussen recalled (Sears) saying ‘help.’”
Rasmussen told police he tried to do CPR, but had never been trained in it and did not want to further hurt Sears. He said he tried to find a phone to call 911.
In the meantime, a female in the house heard the screaming and left her bedroom. Both Rasmussen and TW then went downstairs to TW’s father, who called police.
The affidavit states that the 52-year-old father told Rasmussen to “get rid of the gun.”
“Rasmussen stated he ran out of the back door on the main floor of the resident and ran to the shed,” the affidavit states. “Rasmussen stated he threw his gun behind the shed and did not recall removing the magazine or manipulating the gun.”
The female in the home then left, taking TW with her, according to the affidavit.
In a later interview with police, she said she saw the victim on the floor bleeding but did not know his name. She told police Rasmussen had brought the pistol to the house to watch the Super Bowl a week before and she saw him playing with a semiautomatic handgun and “carelessly handling the firearm.”
An 18-year-old was arrested and faces charges stemming from a fatal shooting of a 16-year-old on Wednesday night. The 18-year-old was recklessly handling a handgun, police said. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
Luka Rasmussen (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily)
Accidentally Chambered Round
Under further questioning, Rasmussen said he typically had the pistol without a round in the chamber and thought he checked the firearm to ensure it was not loaded, but “thought he might have accidentally chambered a round.”
When police initially arrived at the home, the affidavit states they found Sears on the floor, bleeding, with a single gunshot wound to the right side of his face just above the right eyebrow, exiting the back of his head. The bullet also went through the back rest of a gaming chair, a closed drape and shattered a glass door leading to the outside.
“The generalized trajectory showed it to be in line with Rasmussen’s explanation of events and lines up with how he described himself and (Sears) to be seated,” the affidavit states.
Police recovered a spent shell casing and located a .22-caliber extended magazine in the backyard as well as the pistol. The magazine was ejected from the pistol and the chamber was empty, the affidavit states.
In addition to the weapon, police also found several items of THC paraphernalia in the room, a black container with the THC label, a while vape pen where Sears had been located, and a folding knife with possible THC residue. The affidavit states the room had a “strong odor” of marijuana.
District Attorney Dan Itzen declined to comment Thursday about whether any additional charges would be filed in the case.
The involuntary manslaughter charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Rasmussen remains jailed under a $500,000 cash or surety bond.
