Inset: Stephen Ray Lang (Harrison County Sheriff's Department). Background: The area in Indiana where Lang allegedly shot and killed his wife (Google Maps).
A 32-year-old Indiana man with an apparent penchant for brandishing his firearm allegedly told authorities he accidentally shot his wife, who died from a gunshot wound to the chest inside the family's home.
Stephen Ray Lang was arrested Thursday night and charged with one count each of murder, domestic battery, intimidation, and pointing a firearm in the death of Sara M. Lang, authorities announced.
According to a news release from the Harrison County Sheriff's Department, deputies responded to the family's residence on Hillcrest Drive in Mauckport shortly before 10 p.m., after Lang called 911 to report an "accidental gunshot." The home is about 140 miles south of Indianapolis.
Upon arriving at the address, first responders found Sara Lang suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives identified a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun as the weapon used in the shooting. Investigators have not disclosed what evidence led them to conclude Lang should face a murder charge despite his claim that the shooting was accidental.
Two children — a 14-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl — were inside the residence when the shooting took place, according to investigators.
Additional details about what allegedly happened before the fatal shot came from Stephen Lang's own relatives, who spoke with Louisville, Kentucky, ABC affiliate WLKY.
Stephen Lang's sister, Sarah Shireman, said the shooting happened after an argument between Sara Lang and the teenage boy. She claimed her brother intervened during the dispute and pulled out a handgun.
"With all the bickering going back and forth, I think he was literally just trying to get them to be quiet, and everybody just calm down," Shireman told the station.
Shireman acknowledged that her brother had a history of displaying a firearm during arguments to intimidate people, including during an altercation with her several months earlier.
"He pulled it out because he thinks he was hot stuff," she said. "I will admit he acted like he was going to do something with me and him when we got into a fight a couple months ago, but it didn't work out for him."
Shireman maintained that despite those encounters, she does not believe her brother intentionally killed his wife.
"My brother is not a killer. My brother is the sweetest," she said. "He is the sweetest person ever and would do anything to help anybody."
Speaking of the deadly incident, Stephen Lang's father reportedly said "it was a simple, little, stupid argument that got out of hand."
The Harrison County Coroner's Office is scheduled to perform an autopsy as detectives continue investigating the circumstances of the shooting.
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