911 Tapes Released in Pumpkin Theft Shooting

A homeowner who fatally shot a teenager after the theft of a Halloween decoration gave a brief account of the October shooting moments later to a police dispatcher, insisting he never intended to fire his weapon, according to 911 tapes made public Monday.

Pete Tavita Solomona, his voice virtually flat, told the dispatcher that he had gone looking for who had stolen his plastic pumpkin, and that his .357 magnum “just went off.”

Solomona has been charged with murder in the Oct. 18 shooting of Brandon Ketsdever, 17.

The shooting seemed to amaze the dispatcher who answered the 911 call.

“They stole your pumpkin and then you shot at ‘em?” the dispatcher asked, sounding incredulous.

“No, it just went off,” Solomona replied. “The gun just went off. . . . I didn’t mean to shoot anybody.”

Solomona’s version of events contradicts claims given by two boys who were there. They maintain Solomona was shouting epithets at them as he stood at arm’s length from Ketsdever’s car, his gun drawn and aimed. The issue over whether Solomona meant to pull the trigger could mean the difference between a conviction for murder or manslaughter.