A Massachusetts man is set to stand trial in October in the shooting death of a 16-year-old Polson girl that happened a year ago this month.
This spring, Johnathan Ross Gray of Stow, Massachusetts was charged in Sanders County District Court with negligent homicide in the June 2015 death of Aunika Corrigan of Polson. Gray is represented by Kalispell-attorney Thane Johnson and pleaded not guilty to the charge.
According to court documents, Gray met a girl on a social media app in June 2015 and agreed to go fishing with her. The girl, later identified as Shannon Oakley, invited Corrigan to join them and the three met near Dixon. They went swimming, fishing and later decided to go rattlesnake hunting.
As they were driving along Oliver Gulch Road, the three people noticed a coyote. Gray pulled the vehicle over and went to retrieve his gun in the bed of the truck. As Gray loaded the gun it allegedly misfired, hitting Corrigan in the head. She died at the scene.
If convicted, Gray could face up to 20 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.