Prosecutors: Boyfriend shot and killed Michigan State student while playing with gun

CHICAGO — A Michigan State University student home for winter break was shot and killed by her boyfriend as he played with a revolver in a South Side apartment, prosecutors said Monday.

Lafayette Hodges, 18, held his hands to his head as he appeared in court on charges of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Lyniah Bell, 19, whom he had dated for nine months. He was ordered held without bail.

“This is a tragedy that could have been avoided,” Judge Arthur Wesley Willis said.

Lafayette Hodges is charged with killing his girlfriend, 19-year-old Lyniah Bell, while "play fighting" with a gun he thought was unloaded. She was on winter break from Michigan State University at the time. https://t.co/gYXN9wfmB4

— CBS Chicago (@cbschicago) December 30, 2019

Bell was shot in the head around 9:50 p.m. Friday in the bedroom of an apartment in the East Chatham neighborhood, according to police. A witness told officers they heard a gunshot and found Bell.

Hodges surrendered shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday and charges were announced late Sunday. During the court hearing, prosecutors said Hodges had been playing with a revolver that he thought was unloaded. He pointed it at a friend, then himself and then Bell, pulling the trigger and hitting Bell, prosecutors said.

At the time, Hodges had been out on bail for resisting arrest and aggravated battery to police officer charge. He had been in compliance with his pretrial services, and his court-appointed attorney said she didn’t think he was a flight risk.

She asked that Hodges be released on electronic monitoring, but the judge turned her down.

BREAKING: Prosecutors say 19-year-old Lyniah Bell killed in Russian Roulette-style shooting. Her boyfriend Lafayette Hodges said he thought the gun was unloaded when he pointed the gun at her head and pulled the trigger. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/07SdpY0LzD

— Megan Hickey (@MeganHickeyTV) December 30, 2019

Bell was attending Michigan State on an academic scholarship and was planning to major in business and journalism, according to her cousin, Sam Brown. “She loved it,” Brown said. “Sometimes it felt as if she’s at home there and she was visiting us.”

Brown said Bell was a “quiet but outspoken” woman who always knew how to motivate herself. At MSU, she approached every course with curiosity and dedication. Bell leaves behind a 13-year-old brother who was her best friend, Brown said.

In a statement posted to its Facebook page, North Lawndale College Prep, a charter school on the West Side, said Bell was a 2019 graduate of the school and the school community was devastated to learn of her death.

Bell was a Phoenix Pact scholar, a National Honor Society inductee and a participant of the theater club, according to the post. The school will be offering counseling for students.

“We just can’t say enough good about the positive impact she had on the school community,” the statement read. “She will be missed dearly, and our hearts grieve alongside her mother and family.”