Cody Austin Dittman was 24 when he died in Richmond, Kentucky, on the night of Sunday, December 28, 2014. He was at an apartment on Wayne Drive when a rifle discharged and struck him in the head. Police found him on the kitchen floor and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The rifle was reportedly loaded with the safety engaged while 19-year-old Richard D. Sirry of Berea was handling it. According to police reports, Dittman grabbed the barrel and pulled the weapon toward his forehead; the gun then fired. Sirry was arrested and charged with reckless homicide and held in the Madison County jail. The apartment’s resident, 21-year-old Zachary A. Redmerski, was cited and released after being charged with third-degree unlawful transaction with a minor for allegedly providing alcohol to Sirry.

Dittman, a 2010 graduate of Berea Community High School and a member of the Kentucky Army National Guard, was remembered by family and friends; an online memorial collected memories and virtual candles. Does anyone have information about that night or knew Cody and can share details that might help clarify what happened?