KEY WEST – A 22-year-old U.S. Navy service member and his wife were arrested after lying to deputies, initially claiming he was shot during an attempted robbery before confessing to shooting himself while playing with a gun, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
Damarcus Benjamin and his wife, Kiana Benjamin, were arrested Monday on misdemeanor charges of making a false report.
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Sheriff's spokesman Adam Linhardt said Damarcus Benjamin initially told Key West police he was shot by a gunman who tried to rob him. Benjamin said he called his wife to pick him up and drive him to a hospital.
Linhardt said Kiana Benjamin gave a similar story, saying she picked up her husband after he had been shot while jogging.
However, after Damarcus Benjamin's hand tested positive for gunshot residue, he changed his story, revealing that he was twirling a handgun with his finger while riding with his wife in their Jeep Cherokee when the gun accidentally discharged. The bullet struck his shoulder.
Linhardt said Kiana Benjamin, who was in a separate room at the hospital, maintained to detectives that her husband had been shot during an attempted robbery. When confronted with the truth, she later confessed that he accidentally shot himself.
A Glock 9 mm handgun and spent casing were found in the Jeep.