Brevard man acting out song fatally shoots friend

A panicked Merritt Island man can be heard crying and pleading for help on a 9-1-1 call, telling a dispatcher that his 17-year-old friend took his gun and accidentally shot himself in the head.

But Brevard County Sheriff's Office investigators say Rodney Clark Patrick handled the .45-caliber handgun and shot his friend while acting out a rap song blaring on nearby speakers.

"It's a terrible accident, but there are consequences to your actions," said Tod Goodyear of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office. "You have to take responsibility. He pointed that gun at a person and pulled the trigger."

Goodyear added that Patrick was negligent in checking the weapon before handling it. Investigators quickly determined that Patrick accidentally pulled the trigger of the weapon that killed his friend.

"Patrick tried to make it look like the victim shot himself and moved things around," Goodyear said.

Patrick was charged with manslaughter with a firearm, tampering with evidence and the possession of a controlled substance in connection with the Monday night death of 17-year-old Douglas Winslow. The pair were handling the gun.

In the 9-1-1 audio, Patrick repeatedly tells a different story before deputies arrived.

"I handed my little brother my gun and I didn't know it was loaded then he shot himself in the head," his voice wavering with emotion. "I think he's dead … he wanted to see it cause he thought it was so cool. I'm so stupid … I'm such a horrible person," he said while crying. He added that "my buddy's gone."

Late Tuesday, Patrick flashed an obscene gesture with his handcuffed hands as he was being led from the Brevard County Sheriff's Office headquarters. He's being held at the Brevard County Jail Complex where he's expected to have a first appearance today.

Investigators said that at 9 p.m. Monday, the pair were in Winslow's bedroom at 1410 Floral Lane listening to the song "Bustin' At 'Em," by rapper Waka Flocka Flame. That's when Patrick picked up the weapon.

The lyrics include spoken lines like "I just don't get it anymore, they don't even gang-bang with a purpose, cold-hearted killers that barely got facial hair, I'm tired of tryin' to get through," followed by a chorus that includes gun shots.

The song includes references to gang-related activities and "cold-hearted killers," followed by a chorus that includes gunshots.

"They were still listening to the song when Patrick picked up the gun," Goodyear said.

The weapon was then discharged, killing Winslow in the chair where he sat. He was found by deputies a short time later.

On his Facebook profile, Patrick can be seen taking a series of photos in a bathroom while clutching what appears to be a handgun. In one photo, he points the gun at the camera.

Patrick, who called the victim his "little brother" while talking to 9-1-1 dispatchers, later told investigators that he did not believe the weapon was loaded when he turned the gun toward Winslow and it fired off a round.

Rather than point to the song as a possible scapegoat for what happened, Goodyear said that it was Patrick's actions that led directly to the teen's death.

"What caused this was him pointing the gun at another person. I would rather comment on being a responsible gun owner. You always check to see if a gun is loaded and you never point it at another person," Goodyear added.

An autopsy on Winslow was conducted Tuesday before Patrick was arrested.

His grandmother said that Patrick was distraught about the shooting and counted Winslow as a close friend. She also said that Patrick was a "good kid who never caused any real trouble."

"I talked with him yesterday and he's real upset about what happened. It was accidental and he was very, very close to that boy," said Virginia Hudmon, 89, of her grandson's arrest.

"(Winslow) would come to my home and stay for a few nights. They would go fishing together. I tried to talk with Patrick by phone yesterday and he told me he would tell me later…he said 'mom, you know it was an accident. You know I loved Trey,'" she said recounted Patrick's conversation and the nickname he called Winslow by.

"I just don't know what will happen now."

Contact Gallop at 321-242-3642, jdgallop@floridatoday.com or on Twitter @JDGallop