MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. – A 36-year-old Merritt Island man was arrested Tuesday on manslaughter charges for his wife’s shooting death that happened after the couple returned home from a July Fourth party.
Roger and Stacy Petrocelli, 35, arrived home on July 5 to the Catalina Club Apartments, south of Merritt Island High School when Roger was handling a firearm that discharged, hitting Stacy, who was sitting nearby, authorities told News 6 partner Florida Today.
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Stacy Petrocelli’s two sons were home at the time of the shooting, but it’s not known if they saw what happened, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Roger Petrocelli took his wife to Cape Canaveral Hospital, where she later died, detectives said.
Brevard County Sheriff's Office spokesman Tod Goodyear said Roger Petrocelli was arrested on a warrant after the investigation was complete.
"The investigation determined that the Petrocellis returned home after attending a Fourth of July party where the suspect had been drinking and smoking marijuana," Goodyear said in a news release. "The suspect was also observed discharging firearms into the air."
Roger Petrocelli was booked into the Brevard County Jail Tuesday morning and is being held without bail on one charge of manslaughter with a firearm.
A GoFundMe page started by a friend of Stacey’s mother said that her sons, then 11 and 14 years old, were placed into custody with their grandmother.