Mims woman charged in shooting death of friend while handling loaded weapon

A Mims woman, who Brevard sheriff’s investigators said fatally shot a friend while showing off a loaded .38 Special she kept by the nightstand, will face a judge next month.

Alice Faye McClure, 36, was charged with manslaughter in connection with the April 18 fatal shooting of Heather Bowen, no age given, at McClure’s home in the 4100 block of Cinnamon Teal Drive.

Investigators reviewed statements from McClure and others along with the medical examiner over the course of several weeks before filing charges in the case. McClure was arrested May 1 and booked into the Brevard County Jail Complex. She posted a $15,000 bond and was released, jail records showed.

Investigators reported that the shooting happened as the two women — who met five years ago and frequently traveled to a South Carolina nudist colony — apparently talked about self-defense, court records show.

The shooting incident unfolded shortly after McClure got up about 4:30 a.m. and made her boyfriend coffee before he left for work. She then returned to her room to read a book. She came back out of her room and found Heather Bowen, 36, sitting up playing video games.

A short time late the two women struck up a conversation and Bowen — visiting with her boyfriend — talked about keeping a knife beneath her pillow, reports show. McClure told Bowen “she no longer needed to do that since she kept a gun by her bed now,” then went into her master bedroom to retrieve the firearm.

McClure told sheriff’s agents that she was holding the weapon when it slipped from her hand, causing her to grip the gun, squeezing the trigger.

The single round struck Bowen in the forehead as she sat on the couch, court records show.

Deputies arrived within moments at the Hog Valley neighborhood after Bowen’s boyfriend called 911 for help.

“Hello … my girlfriend has been shot,” the man told dispatchers. “Her friend was showing her a gun … she said it went off,” he said, according to court records. Bowen was taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne where she was pronounced dead two days later.

McClure, whose twin children, 2, were also in the home, told investigators that she had had training with the weapon and had a concealed carry permit while living in Ohio.

McClure will appear before a judge June 1 for an arraignment.

J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @JDGallop.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard woman faces manslaughter charge in shooting death of friend