By Associated Press - Tuesday, March 27, 2018

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - The trial has begun for a former reserve deputy accused of recklessly mishandling a loaded firearm in the shooting death of his wife in Spokane Valley.

The Spokesman-Review reports a Spokane County jury this week is deciding if 44-year-old Dwayne Thurman was criminally negligent in the January 2016 death of 42-year-old Brenda Thurman.

According to court documents, the former Lincoln County reserve deputy told investigators that he was cleaning his wife’s handgun at their home when it went off accidentally.

His attorney Carl Oreskovich has described the death as a tragic accident. Thurman has pleaded not guilty to the first-degree manslaughter charge.

The Spokane County medical examiner has ruled the death accidental. Authorities say Brenda Thurman died of a single gunshot wound to the chest.

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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com

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