'I can do what I want. It's Indiana': Man refused to stop 'messing around' with gun before shooting 2 friends, police say

A 21-year-old man in Indiana is accused of drunkenly "playing" with a handgun before shooting two of his friends as they were lying in bed together, telling police it was "100% on me" and "I was a complete f—ing idiot."

Joshua Ledford is charged in Marion County with two counts of battery by means of a deadly weapon and one count of criminal recklessness for allegedly firing into an occupied dwelling, according to court records.

The shooting happened shortly before 2 a.m. on July 16 at a home in the 1000 block of Denison Street on Indianapolis' west side. Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded to reports of a person shot and found two victims — a man and a woman — suffering from gunshot wounds, according to a report from Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR.

Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition. They have since been released and are recovering at home, local Fox affiliate WXIN reported.

According to a probable cause affidavit cited by the stations, witnesses told investigators Ledford had been drinking with the victims and had been handling a black handgun recklessly throughout the night. One witness said she had seen him behave similarly on previous occasions.

Another witness, Brayzan Brown, told WXIN that those inside the home repeatedly warned Ledford to stop waving the gun around.

"We had asked him to stop messing around with the firearm and he said, 'No. I can do what I want. It's Indiana,'" Brown told the station.

One of the victims told investigators she and the male victim had gone into a bedroom to relax when Ledford entered carrying the handgun. She said he began "playing" with the weapon, pointing it at both of them before it discharged, according to the affidavit.

Ledford struck the male victim in the arm and the female victim in the armpit, local FM radio station WHHH reported.

After the shot was fired, another witness reportedly told police Ledford attempted to get into her vehicle, leading her to believe he was trying to leave the scene, but she refused to let him in the car.

Police detained Ledford outside the residence moments later.

In a subsequent interview, he allegedly admitted responsibility for the shooting, telling detectives, "It was 100% on me," adding, "I was a complete f—ing idiot."

He also allegedly admitted, "I was being stupid with the gun," adding that "sometimes when I get drunk, I play around with the clip."

Ledford allegedly went on to acknowledge he had been "being a dumba— at the house and playing around with the gun," while maintaining he never intended to fire the weapon or injure anyone.

Speaking to WXIN after the shooting, IMPD Officer Tommy Thompson said incidents like this are entirely avoidable.

"We have to be responsible with our firearms," Thompson said. "This could have killed someone. Thankfully, this did not kill these individuals, but if we're not responsible with our guns, that bullet is going to travel somewhere."

Ledford made his initial court appearance Tuesday and was released to home confinement after posting $8,000 bond, records show.

The post 'I can do what I want. It's Indiana': Man refused to stop 'messing around' with gun before shooting 2 friends, police say first appeared on Law & Crime.