They had been drinking and playing with a gun they thought wasn't loaded.
A New York engaged couple believed to have died in a murder suicide actually accidentally killed themselves with a single bullet, police have revealed.
The bodies of Jonathan Fava, 25, and his 24-year-old girlfriend Kelly Lynn Bray were discovered at their Long Island home on March 4, both shot dead.
Police initially suspected one had killed the other and then themselves, but curiously never revealed who had shot whom.
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View StoryBut after a statement from the couple's babysitter -- who was minding their 18-month-old baby in the house on the night -- as well as the discovery of just a single round at the scene, police determined they had managed to kill themselves with one shot. The child was not harmed.
The witness told investigators the pair had been drinking, and believed the semiautomatic Glock handgun was not loaded.
"This is a tragic event that underscores the dangers of alcohol use while handling weapons," Southampton Police Chief Steven Skrynecki said, per Newsday.
"The investigation has concluded … the forensic evidence at the scene, the [Suffolk Medical Examiner's] report, and an interview with an individual who was present at the house all demonstrate that it was a single shot fired from the weapon that was recovered from the scene that unfortunately passed through both victims."
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View StoryAgain, police did not say who fired the fatal shot, but they are satisfied neither death was intentional.
They also did not say which of them was the gun's owner; however it was unregistered and illegally owned.
After the incident, police also recovered several more weapons from the home, including long guns and handguns as well as bows and arrows.
There was no history of domestic violence between the couple.
However in 2016, Fava was arrested for allegedly shooting at houses and animals, and pulling over drivers with a gun.
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