Police – NBC 6 South Florida

A former North Florida police officer has been fired after telling investigators he accidentally shot and killed his girlfriend while cleaning his gun, authorities said Friday.

Ocala police said officers responded to the home of Marion County Deputy Leslie Boileau late Thursday night and found a woman with a fatal gunshot wound to her forehead and a 9mm handgun in her lap. A rifle was also found at the scene.

“The Ocala Police Department is working with the District Attorney’s Office to ensure justice is served,” Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken said in a statement.

Boileau told officers that the shooting occurred while he and his girlfriend were holding the guns and dry-firing. After he was arrested, Boileau told detectives that he accidentally fired a loaded round while demonstrating how to use a gun, killing the woman.

A search warrant executed at Boileau’s home confirmed his story, police said. Officials did not immediately release the girlfriend’s name.

Boileau was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. It was not immediately known whether he had an attorney. Online jail records showed no record of his booking, and his case did not appear on the clerk of court’s website Friday.

Boileau was immediately fired from the sheriff’s office, where he had served for eight years. Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said in a statement that the Ocala Police Department has the support of his office.

“Tens of thousands of police officers do their jobs commendably every day,” Sheriff Billy Woods said. “But unfortunately, the tragic actions of just one officer are felt throughout the entire law enforcement community.”