Lawsuit: Man Showing Off Guns Killed Son's Girlfriend

A man accused of killing his son's girlfriend in an upstairs gun room at his Alabama home is facing a manslaughter charge and a lawsuit from the woman's family. The parents of 22-year-old Auburn University graduate Whitney Harlow Robeson have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Jeffrey Scott Towers, alleging that the 54-year-old negligently fired an antique .22 revolver while showing off his collection at his Trussville home on March 7, reports AL.com. According to the suit, Towers was displaying the firearm to Robeson and his son when it went off, striking Robeson in the chest. She died at a nearby hospital less than 90 minutes later; an autopsy found catastrophic damage to her heart, lung, and aorta

The Jefferson County Coroner's Office previously described the shooting as reported accidental. Last week, Trussville police said that after an "extensive investigation," they had arrested Towers on a reckless manslaughter charge, Fox News reports. The lawsuit argues that Towers failed to check whether the gun was loaded and violated a duty to handle it safely. Towers is out on a $30,000 bond. In a statement, his lawyers described the shooting as a "tragic event." "We know that the facts will show that Mr. Towers has no criminal history, has been a productive and upstanding citizen for his entire life, and is not guilty of these charges," they said.

The civil suit seeks unspecified damages; a preliminary hearing in the criminal case has not been scheduled. Family members say Robeson, a Virginia native, started her dream career as an interior designer in Birmingham, Alabama, just weeks before her death, People reports.We mourn Whitney not only as the daughter, sister, and friend she was to us, but also as a woman in the full bloom of her youth and the fantastic mother and aunt she had the potential to become," her obituary states. "But it was not to be—and we cannot begin to understand why."