Michelle Yeagher, 65, is in custody after fatally shooting a man in Killingly, Connecticut. The incident unfolded late Monday night at a home on Pratt Road. Andrew Michael Olson, 39, was watching the Pixar film Toy Story with a 12-year-old child when Yeagher entered the room and fired a shot.
Troopers found Olson with a single gunshot wound to the chest around 9:31 p.m. He was rushed to Day Kimball Hospital but did not survive. The child confirmed they had been watching the movie together.
Yeagher was found in bed and appeared highly intoxicated. When questioned, she said she did not know where she had placed the gun used in the shooting.
In her initial police interview, Yeagher said, “He tried to kill me. I shot him. He came after me, I shot him.” She claimed Olson came at her and that she had difficulty unlocking her gun safe before firing.
As reported by Law & Crime, “The woman allegedly went on to say she was in the bedroom when Olson came after her – describing some difficulty unlocking her gun safe before firing her weapon, police say. Yeagher allegedly told investigators that Olson and the child came over earlier that night and then she went to bed.”
However, the 12-year-old’s account did not match Yeagher’s story, and she changed her version over time. She was taken from the residence on a stretcher around 11:30 p.m.
View this post on Instagram
The following morning, Yeagher told investigators she had been upset and drinking due to various issues throughout the day. She said she woke up scared, retrieved her gun, and didn’t remember the events until she heard Olson in distress. She added that she saw an injured man lying on the ground, but could not recall what had happened, as Law & Crime reported.
Yeagher faces charges including murder, carrying a firearm while under the influence, risk of injury to a child, and reckless endangerment in the first degree. She is being held on a $1 million bond and is scheduled to appear in court on December 11.
It is, however, not clear yet how these three people were related. The 12-year-old child’s identity has not been revealed, and there is no information about why they were at Yeagher’s house watching a film at night.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to cover the costs of Olson’s funeral. The organizer has described Olson as a “a kind, generous man, and a loving father, son, brother, and friend” who had a “heart of gold.”
The GoFundMe page for Olson further mentions, “He was the type of person who would give you the shirt off his back without a second thought. He was so deeply loved by everyone who knew him, and his absence has left an emptiness that can never be filled.”
With a life lost in such a shocking turn of events, more information is awaited regarding Yeagher’s legal proceedings and how she was connected to the man she so randomly shot and went back to sleep after.
