Man fatally harmed friend over indoor vaping, claims 'play-fighting'

A 28-year-old man from Florida is facing accusations of having murdered his best friend, supposedly executing the 34-year-old after a minor argument over a vape device and making a peculiar attempt to disguise the crime as simple "play-fighting."

Elisha Christopher Landry was apprehended this week, charged with one count of second-degree murder concerning the killing of Shaun Allen Hennigh the previous month, authorities revealed.

The Gulfport Police Department's probable cause affidavit states that Landry allegedly shot Hennigh, his "best friend" and housemate, in the back of the head on April 17. He then purportedly moved the victim's body into his garage and waited more than four hours before contacting 911.

At 5:04am on April 17, police responded to a 911 alert about a deceased individual at a residence on the 5100 block of Tangerine Avenue South.

During the call, Landry reportedly told the dispatcher, "my best friend's shot in the garage." When the operator asked directly if the victim shot himself, Landry is said to have replied, "I'm not sure," while claiming he had already been beside the body for "30 f—ing minutes." In actuality, neighbours reported hearing a solitary gunshot and a car alarm going off at 12:32am — almost 4 1/2 hours before Landry sought help.

Upon reaching the scene, first responders found Landry on the roadway stating repeatedly that his friend was "in the back." Officers discovered Hennigh's body lying on the garage floor; he was already cold to the touch, rigor mortis had commenced, and dried blood footprints were evident around the area.

When probed about his friend’s death, Landry allegedly provided a multitude of conflicting accounts.

Initially, he claimed Hennigh had come home "irate" and that the pair simply went to the garage to smoke a cigarette. However, as investigators pursued details, Landry allegedly suggested that the fatal shooting transpired while the two adults were engaged in "play-fighting" near the driveway. Landry claimed Hennigh had grabbed a 9 mm handgun straight from his waistband holster as they were "fooling around."

When an officer queried if Hennigh had held the gun to his own head, Landry allegedly dismissed it by saying:

Shortly thereafter, Landry entirely altered his tale, telling the officer, "No, don't even think… he was grabbing me," and contradicting his earlier statement by adding, "He didn't grab it out of my holster." Later, during a formal post-Miranda police station interview, Landry shook his head when questioned about the gun's discharge, telling a detective, "I can't tell you."

The physical evidence countered Landry's assertions of an accidental shooting during a playful scuffle, the police stated. While Landry claimed he held Hennigh in his arms for up to 30 minutes after the firearm released, forensic experts noticed a "minimal amount of blood" on Landry’s jeans — starkly contrasting the substantial pool of blood left by the fatal head injury. Landry also confessed to pulling a set of blue jeans over the shorts he had worn during the shooting before police arrived.

The crime scene itself also allegedly showed signs of extensive interference. Investigators found blood stains on an outdoor bench and the driveway, along with a pool of partially dried blood beneath a package delivery storage box outside.

Investigators also discovered "apparent blood smears, indicating movement of the body from outside the garage to inside."

In addition to the delay in reporting, authorities learned that Landry's mother — a licensed travel nurse with over a decade of medical background — was in the home throughout the entire 4 1/2 hour duration between the gunshot and the 911 call. Landry allegedly neither woke his mother nor sought her to provide emergency medical help to his dying friend.

Landry's girlfriend allegedly informed police the fatal incident started in an upstairs bedroom, where Landry erupted in anger after spotting Hennigh "vaping inside the house." The pair argued, and Hennigh reportedly headed downstairs to the garage. Landry told his girlfriend he was going to the garage to "check on" his friend, armed with a 9 mm handgun in his waistband.

The housemates also had a long record of heated disputes concerning money. Text messages from Hennigh's phone revealed that Landry had previously evicted him from the house in January, forcing him to "couch surf" because Hennigh was "unpredictable in paying his share of the bills."

An autopsy ultimately determined Hennigh's death as a homicide caused by a single intermediate-range gunshot wound to the back of the head. The bullet entered the rear portion of the skull, travelling on an upward path.

Landry is now being held at the Pinellas County Jail without bail. It remains unknown when he is set to attend his next court hearing.