Inset: Stephen Ray Lang (Harrison County Sheriff’s Department). Background: The Indiana area where Lang allegedly shot and killed his wife (Google Maps).
An Indiana man accused in the fatal shooting of his wife told authorities the gunfire was accidental, according to officials, after she was found dead from a gunshot wound to the chest inside the couple’s home.
Stephen Ray Lang, 32, was taken into custody Thursday night and charged with murder, domestic battery, intimidation, and pointing a firearm in connection with the death of Sara M. Lang, authorities said.
The Harrison County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release that deputies were called to the family’s home on Hillcrest Drive in Mauckport just before 10 p.m. after Lang dialed 911 to report what he described as an “accidental gunshot.” Mauckport is located roughly 140 miles south of Indianapolis.
When first responders arrived, they found Sara Lang with a gunshot wound to her chest. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators said the weapon used in the shooting was a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. Authorities have not publicly detailed what evidence prompted detectives to pursue a murder charge despite Lang’s reported claim that the shooting was accidental.
Two children, a 14-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl, were also inside the home at the time of the shooting, investigators said.
More information about the events that allegedly preceded the fatal shooting came from Stephen Lang’s relatives, who spoke with Louisville, Kentucky, ABC affiliate WLKY.
Stephen Lang’s sister, Sarah Shireman, said the shooting happened after an argument between Sara Lang and the teenage boy. She claimed her brother intervened during the dispute and pulled out a handgun.
“With all the bickering going back and forth, I think he was literally just trying to get them to be quiet, and everybody just calm down,” Shireman told the station.
Shireman acknowledged that her brother had a history of displaying a firearm during arguments to intimidate people, including during an altercation with her several months earlier.
“He pulled it out because he thinks he was hot stuff,” she said. “I will admit he acted like he was going to do something with me and him when we got into a fight a couple months ago, but it didn’t work out for him.”
Shireman maintained that despite those encounters, she does not believe her brother intentionally killed his wife.
“My brother is not a killer. My brother is the sweetest,” she said. “He is the sweetest person ever and would do anything to help anybody.”
Speaking of the deadly incident, Stephen Lang’s father reportedly said “it was a simple, little, stupid argument that got out of hand.”
The Harrison County Coroner’s Office is scheduled to perform an autopsy as detectives continue investigating the circumstances of the shooting.
